§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what methods are being used to strengthen the uptake of health authority immunisation against measles, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis and rubella.
§ Mr. WhitneyLast August, the Department asked health authorities to draw up programmes for increasing the uptake of childhood immunisation, particularly against measles and whooping cough, and to designate a person to take responsibility for immunisation programmes.
The Health Education Council, with special Government funding, is running a publicity campaign to promote immunisation against whooping cough. This will continue throughout the current whooping cough epidemic. The National Rubella Council, which is funded by the Department, is continuing its campaign to improve uptake of immunisation against rubella among schoolgirls and adult women of childbearing age.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total budget of the Health Education Council; and what part of that budget is allocated for immunisation education.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe Health Education Council's budget for 1986–87 is £9.6 million and its budgeted expenditure on immunisation education is approximately £51,000. The scope for additional effort in the field of whooping cough immunisation is being assessed with the council.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much has been spent by his Department on research into the safety of immunisation and the frequency of contra-indications to immunisation.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe National Biological Standards Board which is funded by the Department and is responsible among other things for ensuring the purity, potency and safety of vaccines, each year carries out160W research connected with its standardisation and control. In the last financial year approximately £750,000 was spent on this research.
The following research projects supported by the Department include work on the frequency of contraindications to immunisation.
Project Cost £ 1. Professor D.L.Miller/Dr. E. Ross Middlesex Hospital Medical School National Childhood Encephalopathy Study (funding ceased) 280,000 2. Dr. P.E. M. Fine London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Investigation of the impact of immunisation programmes on the pattern of infectious diseases (funding ceased) 40,000 3. Dr. C. Miller Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale, London Rubella Monitoring and Research Programme 350,000 4. Professor R. M. Anderson Imperial Collese of Science and Technology Quantitative investigations of different policies for vaccination against pertussis, measles and rubella 88,000
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether local authorities which empower nurses to immunise at home, and the nurses so empowered, will be fully indemnified for any accident that may occur in connection with the immunisation.
§ Mr. HayhoeNurses undertaking vaccination and immunisation at home, where so employed by their health authorities to do so, are fully indemnified by their employers providing that they operate within the policies of those health authorities.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider the introduction of a requirement that children should show proof of measles immunisation prior to admission to school; and if he will also consider this strategy for immunisation against other vaccine-preventable diseases.
§ Mr. WhitneyWe have no plans to make immunisation compulsory by this or other means. The Department will continue to urge health authorities to encourage in various ways voluntary immunisation among children.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the expense of the recent case on behalf of a 16-year-old boy, vaccinated at the age of 14 months against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, he will consider introducing a disability no fault compensation scheme.
§ Mr. WhitneyI refer the right hon. Member to my replies to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. McNair-Wilson) on 28 January at columns493–94 and to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 21 November 1985 at column 288.