§ MR. DAWSONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, What is the number of convicts now employed on public works, and on what works are they employed; what number of convicts it is proposed to employ on the projected harbour works at Dover; and, whether he can inform the House when the various works on which convicts are now employed will be completed?
THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. CHILDERS)In reply to the hon. Member, I may say that there would be no objection to granting a Return of the number of convicts such as he asks for; but I think he would find all the information he wants in the Report of the Committee of Convict Labour of 1881–2, in the Directors' Report for 1881, and the Directors' last Annual Report for 1883–4. Those Reports also contain an estimate of the time by which the various works will be completed.