§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Prime Minister whether she has any plans to encourage the pre-school immunisation programme by making starting statutory school or receipt of child benefit dependent upon child immunisation.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government have no plans to introduce either requirement. Take-up rates for the last year available (1987–88) were 87 per cent. for diphtheria, tetanus and polio, while measles and whooping cough at452W 76 per cent. and 73 per cent. respectively showed marked improvement on the previous year. We believe that the successful launch of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine from October 1988, and the proposed introduction of immunisation targets for general practitioners, will enable us to reach the World Health Organisation's objective of 90 per cent. for all these immunisations, without need for compulsion.