Dr Edith Summerskill: As immunisation is at the moment limited to certain age groups and expectant mothers, are we to take it from what the Minister has said that, in the event of an outbreak, all contacts, irrespective of age, can be immunised?
Dr Edith Summerskill: As I believe this drug was produced by a non-British firm, can the Minister say whether the clinical trials were conducted in this country?
Dr Edith Summerskill: In view of the fact that the House is to rise for the Recess at the end of next week and hon. Members have heard my hon. Friends raise this matter over the years, can the Minister say, at this stage, where the delay arises? If he ventilates the matter now, it may be that he will be able to expedite matters.
Dr Edith Summerskill: We have thought it necessary to devote one of our Supply Days to debate important matters concerned with the health of the people, because there are many questions outstanding and we realise that the week after next the House will adjourn. It seems that, if we had not taken this opportunity, the Government would have failed to give us the time necessary to raise these matters of great social...
Dr Edith Summerskill: Not quite. The Lords' Amendments are to come next week. The Minister and I, together with other right hon. and hon. Members, discussed the matter upstairs during, I think, 17 sittings of the Committee. When we considered the staffing of this new mental health service, we said that the service would not function properly unless there were welfare workers of all kinds. We reminded the Minister...
Dr Edith Summerskill: The maternity services and the obstetric list are not often discussed in the House, and, when they are, it is very difficult to treat the subject lightly. This, incidentally, is typical of the Minister's legalistic response. He should have given an understanding answer on the subject of the maternity services. He should have appreciated that these are important matters. They are not merely...
Dr Edith Summerskill: The right hon. and learned Gentleman nods; I suppose that he must have said this twenty times—about the implementation of the Clean Air Act. May we know precisely what he means by co-operation? How is he helping local authorities to fulfil their functions? After all, it is the Minister's job to deal with bronchitis, asthma, cancer of the lung, and things of this sort. Surely he cannot...
Dr Edith Summerskill: Again the Minister nods; I know the answer—with the Minister of Education and local authorities. We know that for a man of 50 years of age to cut down his smoking is difficult, but I am sure that he would be willing that his son should be invited not to acquire the habit. Cancer of the lung is increasing by 1,000 cases per year, and we should like to know how the Minister is co-operating...
Dr Edith Summerskill: The Minister knows perfectly well that the reason he is able to give those figures is that the maternity services have improved and the infantile mortality rate has dropped.
Dr Edith Summerskill: What about the Report?
Dr Edith Summerskill: I gave the Minister specific questions to answer. There are two important recommendations in the Hinchcliffe Committee's Report which he has absolutely ignored. I read them out to him very carefully. I may have been preaching, but at least I put them precisely, and I should like an answer. They are most important.
Dr Edith Summerskill: I thought that the right hon. and learned Gentleman was going back. I told him that I was asking a specific question. I read it out to him. As he knows, the Committee recommended that a group of experts should be called into being as permanent advisers to him and that on this question of the expense of the pharmaceutical services they should advise him expeditiously What has the right hon....
Dr Edith Summerskill: The right hon. and learned Gentleman is trying to evade the issue.
Dr Edith Summerskill: Why has the Minister not taken action? I feel that I am speaking not only for this side of the Committee. Why has he not taken action about this appalling waste of money and the terrific profits made by the drug firms? Why has he not taken action?
Dr Edith Summerskill: These are the two important recommendations, but, again, the right hon. and learned Gentleman says that he is not going to make a specific statement on them. Why is it that after all these months he is not prepared to tell us specifically, and without all this verbiage, what he is going to do?
Dr Edith Summerskill: My concept of the right hon. and learned Gentleman's function is to protect the women and children and not to keep saying that he is putting off these important recommendations while he has further discussions. Months have passed. When is he going to make a decision? These are the two important recommendations about which I am speaking.
Dr Edith Summerskill: What about the Younghusband Report?
Dr Edith Summerskill: The matter is in no doubt.
Dr Edith Summerskill: Is the Minister aware that he has not answered one of my questions? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Not one, but perhaps he could answer at least this one. May I ask him again what decision has been reached on the question of free medicine to private patients? The Minister has asked us whether we are going to divide the Committee. He has convicted himself. He has given us a dreary recital of facts but...
Dr Edith Summerskill: I would tell the right hon. Gentleman not to get excited about maternity questions. We understand that he cannot possibly know what he is talking about.
