§ Mr. Stuart Wortleywished to put a question to the right hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home Department, connected with one of the provisions of the measure he had proposed for making some alteration in the Poor-law Amendment Act, on which he had reason to believe that great misapprehension prevailed in different parts of the country. In the original Poor-law Amendment Act, by the intepretation clause a general order was defined to be one that the Poor-law Commissioners were empowered to issue to more than one union at a time, and that any order of the kind should come under the inspection of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and be reported to Parliament. In a clause in the new bill, enacting certain alterations in the law, the power of the commissioners with respect to issuing such orders was restricted. He had reason to believe that this clause had produced an impression, that by it these general orders would be made universally applicable, and that they would take effect where they did not now take effect under the existing law. It was therefore desirable that the right hon. Baronet should state distinctly the real intention of this provision of the bill.
§ Sir J. Grahamreplied that the only alteration which was proposed in the clause alluded to by his hon. Friend, was to limit the power of the commissioners. The question related to the necessity of the assent of the Secretary of State being given to a certain description of orders. The change which he proposed was, that where the order was of a general nature, that there should be no order in a special case put in form, without the assent of the Secretary of State. The practical effect of this, alteration would be manifested in a great many cases which were not now included in the general orders.
§ Mr. Stuart Wortleywished to know whether it was intended to extend the power of the commissioners in making orders?
§ Sir J. Graham:On the contrary; the clause alluded to would have the effect of limiting the power of the Commissioners in making orders?