The efforts being made in Bradford to reassure parents about the new five-in-one immunisation are understandable, given the Government's record of shortcomings when it comes to communication on this matter.

Although many parents accept the need to have their infants protected and are confident about the MMR triple jab, others have yet to be convinced there is no link with autism. Even though no firm evidence has been produced proving a connection, the Government has yet to make that point effectively.

Now it has announced that a new five-in-one jab will be used to protect babies against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Hib and polio. These are all dangerous diseases which children need to avoid. At present they have a four-in-one jab at the same time as an oral polio vaccine, so it is not a major change.

We are told that the mercury-based preservative thiomersal will no longer be used in the whooping cough vaccine "as part of a worldwide aim of reducing exposure to the element." The head of immunisations at the Department of Health has denied that the decision to remove mercury has anything to do with concerns over a link between thiomersal and autism. It was, he said, because the preservative would weaken the effect of the polio element of the vaccine.

This is the sort of information parents must have access to if they are to feel confident that they are being told the full story. The detail in the announcement yesterday suggests that the Government is taking steps to improve its communication skills on this subject at long last. The test of how well it is succeeding will be the take-up rate for the new immunisation.