asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many (a) girls and (b) boys are estimated to begin their school life with urinary tract infection; and what steps are taken to detect this.

This information is not collected centrally, but studies suggest that around two per cent. of children, most of them girls, have a urinary infection when they start school. All school children are required to have at least one medical examination during their time at school but it is left to health authorities to decide what it should include. I have referred to the question of screening for urinary tract infection in my reply today to another question from the hon. Member concerning kidney disease.