§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information she has about the provision of BCG vaccination to school children on a routine basis;
(2) if she will list those health authorities which (a) provide the BCG vaccination to school children on a routine basis and (b) no longer provide that vaccination;
(3) what advice she gives to health authorities which (a) no longer routinely offer BCG vaccination to school children and (b) continue to routinely offer BCG vaccination to school children.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe advice from the Department of Health is that the schools' BCG programme should continue at least until the academic year 1995–96, pending the results of a survey of the incidence of tuberculosis in this country, which is being conducted by the public health laboratory service. Authorities which have discontinued a32W school's programme must have in place arrangements for vaccinating clearly defined at-risk groups and for offering the vaccine to any child whose parents request it.
Information on the level of BCG vaccination in schools is not available on a routine basis, but it is estimated that 75 per cent. of the children in this group are vaccinated each year, with a further 5 to 7 per cent. already tuberculin positive who therefore do not require vaccination.
It is understood that a small number of health authorities—less than 10 per cent.—have discontinued the school's BCG programme, but their names are not available centrally.