PUBLIC HEALTH AMENDMENT BILL. (Hansard, 7 July 1854)

VISCOUNT PALMER STUN
then moved for leave to introduce a Bill for the continuance of the Board of Health, the object of which was to amend the Public Health Act of 1848. The alteration which he proposed to effect by this Bill was that the Board should be continued for two years; its members would be appointed by, and removal at the pleasure of, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, from whom it should receive orders and directions. It appeared to him that the care of the public health was properly a part of the duties of the Secretary of State for the Home Department; and he hoped, by the power proposed to be vested in the Secretary of State, to remove the evils which had resulted from differences between local communities and the Board of Health. At present that Board was in the anomalous position of being subject to no official control and of not being represented in that House, so that there was really no one who was answerable for anything which might be urged against it. The alterations which he proposed to make by this Bill would place it under the control of an official and responsible department, and would present to Parliament a public officer answerable for any of the proceedings of the Board which might be called in question.

§ MR. HENLEY
said, he should not object to any Bill to deal with the Board of Health, as he thought it impossible that even the ingenuity of the noble Lord could place it in a worse position than it was. At the same time, he did not think that the scheme of the noble Lord was likely to improve matters much.

§ SIR BENJAMIN HALL
said, he hoped that a sufficient time would be allowed to elapse between the first and second reading of the Bill for its provisions to be considered by the country. He did not approve of the scheme proposed, and thought it would be better to constitute this Board like the Poor Law Board.