asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware than in 1931 his Department issued a report in which the pros and cons of the abolition of the present vaccination laws were discussed; that through the report the question of encephalitis following vaccination occupied a prominent place; and that, on page 58 of the report, a statement was made that it would have to be by persuasion and voluntary acceptance for vaccination of the individual at several stages of life could be secured; and whether he will consider making vaccination a voluntary function determined by a grown-up individual?

My right hon. Friend is aware of the facts referred to in the first two parts of the question, but as regards the third part he would point out that the statement on page 58 of the report which the hon. Member quotes had reference to the previous statement that a single one-mark vaccination should be regarded not as an end in itself, but as a proceeding which the individual should be advised and assisted to adopt at several stages of life with a view to maintaining a reasonably high degree of immunity at all times. As regards the last part, my right hon. Friend would refer the hon. Member to the right of a parent to make a statutory declaration of conscientious objection to the vaccination of his child. My right hon. Friend could not consider the introduction of further legislation on this subject at the present time.

asked the Minister of Health when vaccination against smallpox was first in practice in this country; and whether any reports as to the results exist for the following 20 years?

The practice of vaccination against smallpox in this country may be said to have commenced at the end of the 18th century. I am unaware of any reports comparable to those of the present day, but in 1807 the Royal College of Physicians, after an examination of the results of several hundred thousand cases, reported to Parliament that

"the security derived from vaccination against the smallpox, if not absolutely perfect, is as nearly so as can perhaps be expected from any human discovery."

asked the Minister of Health the nature of the Rolleston Committee which resulted in the change in the degree or number of marks for vaccination in 1929; and why public vaccinators were instructed to incise once only?

The considerations which led the committee to recommend a change in the degree and number of marks for vaccination are set out on pages 81 et seq of their 1928 report. The general purport is that the probable loss of duration of individual immunity resulting from the substitution of a single for multiple insertions would be compensated for by the readier acceptance of vaccination and revaccination, and that this, would yield a higher proportion of protected individuals in the whole population. The present instruction to public vaccinators to vaccinate in one insertion only, except where additional protection is required, is based on the recommendations of the committee.

asked the Minister of Health the number of new cases and deaths from pulmonary and non-pulmonary tuberculosis, respectively, for the past five years, and the respective notification and death rates per million; and the percentage of new cases of tuberculosis which came to knowledge otherwise than by formal notification for each year, showing separately posthumous notifications?

The particulars desired are as in the following table:

asked the Minister of Health the standardised death rate from non-pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculosis of the intestines and peritoneum for the past three years as compared with the previous decennium, and the distribution of non-respiratory tuberculosis mortality at ages 0 to 5, 5 to 15, and 15

Standardised Death Rates (per million population).
England and Wales.
—			Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis.		Tuberculosis of the Intestines and Peritoneum.
			Males.	Females.	Males.	Females.
1921	…	…	289	254	66	63
1922	…	…	278	240	56	54
1923	…	…	264	235	56	56
1924	…	…	252	226	54	52
1925	…	…	248	213	50	48
1926	…	…	229	201	45	43
1927	…	…	223	194	40	39
1928	…	…	212	187	39	39
1929	…	…	211	179	37	35
1930	…	…	199	175	34	32
1931	…	…	196	171	31	32
1932	…	…	195	165	32	27
1933	…	…	172	148	27	28
1934	…	…	not yet a vailable.		not yet a vailable.

Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Mortality per 100,000 living at certain Ages by Class of Area. 1930–32 and 1933.
—							1930–32.	1933.
Persons, age 0–5—
London Administrative County				…	…	…	52	44
County Boroughs		…	…	…	…	…	78	65
Other Urban Districts			…	…	…	…	65	53
Rural Districts	…	…	…	…	…	…	51	53
Persons, age 5–15—
London Administrative County				…	…	…	16	13
County Boroughs		…	…	…	…	…	22	17
Other Urban Districts			…	…	…	…	16	15
Rural Districts	…	…	…	…	…	…	15	12
Males, age 15–25—
London Administrative County				…	…	…	15	15
County Boroughs		…	…	…	…	…	18	18
Other Urban Districts			…	…	…	…	17	13
Rural Districts		…	…	…	…	…	15	14
Females, age 15–25—
London Administrative County				…	…	…	10	10
County Boroughs		…	…	…	…	…	16	13
Other Urban Districts			…	…	…	…	15	13
Rural Districts		…	…	…	…	…	14	14
Note.—The figures for 1933 have been calculated specially. The corresponding figures for 1934 are not available.

The particulars desired, so far as available, are shown in the following table:

asked the Minister of Health whether serum for puerperal fever is used, or has been used, in the hospitals under the administration of the London County Council?

I understand that serum for puerperal fever has been used in one of the hospitals referred to, but that its use has now been discontinued.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the output of gas for the years 1930 and 1934, respectively?

The output of gas by statutory gas undertakers in Great Britain amounted in 1930 to 313,046 million cubic feet, of which 13,201 million cubic feet were purchased from coke ovens. The corresponding preliminary figures for 1934 are 319,168 million cubic feet and 18,194 million cubic feet, respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour what grant has been made by the Treasury to the Commissioner for distressed areas for South Wales and Monmouthshire; what amount has been granted by the Commissioner to the social service association; and will he give particulars of the grants made to special areas, and for what purpose, through the social service?

The matters on which the hon. Member desires information are dealt with fully in the Commissioner's report on his first six months' work which will be published very shortly. I would suggest that the hon. Member should await publication?

asked the Minister of Health the figures showing the Government's share of the financial burden of the able-bodied unemployed in Sheffield and the proportion left to be borne by the Sheffield City Corporation?

The following statement gives the desired information, the figures being estimates of the annual amounts of the different items:

	£
(1) Expenditure of the Council on relief to the able-bodied unemployed to be transferred to the Unemployment Assistance Board (or until the second appointed day, met by the grant under the Unemployment Assistance (Temporary Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1935)	250,000
(2) Unemployment Assistance to persons already transferred to the Board	930,000
	£1,180,000
(3) Contribution by the Council under Section 45 of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1934	95,000
(4) Amount of the block grant under the Local Government Act, 1929, appropriate to the £250,000 of expenditure to be transferred to the Board	47,000
(5) Net charge to the Council—difference between (3) and (4)	48,000
(6) Charge to the Exchequer—
(a) Unemployment assistance	930,000
(b) Transferred expenditure under (1) less Council's contribution under (3)	155,000
(c) Block grant appropriate to transferred expenditure	47,000
Total of item (6)	£1,132,000
(7) £1,132,000=95.9 per cent. of £1,180,000.
£48,000= 4.1 per cent. of £1,180,000.

The cost of relieving able-bodied persons who are outside the scope of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1934, is not included in the above calculations. Actual figures are not available, but returns made by the Council in 1934 indicate that approximately £58,000 per annum was expended by the Council in respect of persons relieved on account of unemployment who would not be transferred to the Board. The proportion of the block grant appropriate to the £58,000 is £11,000, giving a net figure of £47,000. If this figure of £47,000 be added to the £48,000 shown above, the total future charge to the ratepayers

would be £95,000, and the relative proportions of the expenditure to be borne by the Exchequer and by the Council would then be as follow:

	Per cent.
Exchequer	92.3
Council	7.7

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total number of convictions in Scotland during the year 1934 in respect of robbery and assault with intent?

The total number of persons convicted of these offences in Scotland during 1934 was eight.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the aggregates of the net annual values of properties assessable to Income Tax under Schedules A and B, respectively, in England and Wales, and in Scotland, for the financial year 1934–35?

The latest information available regarding assessments to Income Tax is that published in the 77th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue (Command Paper No. 4739), and I would refer the right hon. and gallant Member to Tables 41, 42, 44 and 45 of that Report as regards income assessed under Schedules A and B.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total receipts from import duties on foodstuffs for the financial year ended 31st March, 1935?

The approximate amount of Customs duties collected during the financial year 1934–35 on foodstuffs, including tea, coffee and cocoa, and certain foodstuffs used in part as feeding stuffs for animals, which cannot be separately distinguished, was £31,265,000.