Safety of Chemicals, Medicines and Vaccines

Lord Patel Excerpts

Tuesday 18th June 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran]

I obviously cannot comment on the safety or otherwise of my colleagues on the Front Bench. We are of course “a bunch of chemicals”, as the noble Lord so elegantly put it. The serious point is that we have to find a proportionate way of regulating substances in everyday life which, when used sensibly and in line with regulation, do not present a risk to the vast majority of people.

[Lord Patel (CB)]

My Lords, I am tempted to say that some of us are a less useful bunch of chemicals. Apart from that, the language you use, particularly in relation to vaccine safety, is very important. It is not true to say that vaccines cause damage; it is true to say that vaccines, on the whole, are very safe preventative medication.

[Baroness Barran]

I apologise to the House if I gave any impression other than that.