§ MR. J. STUART (Shoreditch, Hoxton)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention had been called to recent allegations respecting the conduct of the medical staff of the Chelsea Hospital for Women; whether it was the case that the whole staff resigned; whether, notwithstanding the Report of a Committee presided over by Lord Cadogan, all except two of the staff had been re-elected; and whether he had any power to order an inquiry into the whole proceedings; and, if so, whether he would order such an inquiry?
THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. GEORGE RUSSELL,) North Beds.The Secretary of State has seen the allegations to which my hon. Friend refers, and is fully alive to the gravity of them. I am bound, however, to tell my hon. Friend that the Home Office have some private reason for believing that the allegations made in the newspapers are not correct. If my hon. Friend will communicate with me privately, I will tell him what I know of the matter. In the meantime I have to announce that the Secretary of State has no power to order an inquiry, as suggested in the question.