PUBLIC HEALTH BILL. (Hansard, 1 August 1854)

§ SIR WILLIAM MOLESWORTH,
in moving for leave to bring in a Bill to make better provision for the administration of the laws relating to the public health, stated, that the Bill was framed in strict conformity with the opinions, views, and wishes expressed yesterday by the House. The desire of the Government was to act in conformity with those views and opinions, which he understood to be to this effect, that a department ought to be constituted which should have the administration of the Public Health Act, the Nuisances Removal Act, and any other measure affecting the public health of the country. He took it to be the opinion of the House, that the Board of Health, as at present constituted, consisting of four members, two of whom were paid and two unpaid, was not a good Board for the administration of the Public Health Act. The opinion expressed was, that there ought to be some person in that House who should be directly responsible to Parliament for the administration of the Public Health Act, who should be able in his place in that House to explain the reasons for any provisional order or Order in Council which might be issued, and likewise to ex- 1139 plain all matters which might arise under the Nuisances Removal Act, as well as answer all questions respecting the general health of the country. He also understood that the opinion of the house was that the administration of the new departments should not become part and portion of the Home Office, though in many respects, undoubtedly, the administration of the health of the country was very nearly connected with the administration of the Home Office. The opinion of the House, however, was that there was not a closer analogy between the two departments than there was between the Poor Law Board and the Home Department, and that there should be a new department constituted in the same manner as the Poor Law Board was constituted. He had, therefore, prepared a Bill which gave to the new Board of Health precisely the same constitution as the Poor Law Board possessed. A President would be appointed who would have a seat in that House, and who would have a secretary and under secretary. The only other alteration proposed to be made with regard to the officers of the Board of Health was, that the superintending inspectors should be salaried officers of the Board, and should not be employed, as at present, upon jobs, or, in other words, that they should not be able to undertake work upon their own private account. It had been a matter of great complaint that the inspecting officers sent down by the Board of Health, not being salaried officers, could be employed upon other work in the district to which they were sent, and the Bill, therefore, proposed that the superintending inspectors should become salaried officers, so that there should be no danger of their getting up work for their own special advantage. These were the provisions of the Public Health Bill, which he now asked the leave of the House to introduce; but he might add, that it was proposed to insert a clause in the Bill to give compensation, not exceeding 1,000l. a year, to one of the present members of the Board of Health. It was thought that, though some obloquy might have been thrown upon Mr. Chadwick with regard to his services in connection with the Board, that gentleman had been for many years a very valuable public officer, and that, therefore, some compensation ought to be given to him.

§ SIR GEORGE PECHELL
said, he begged to express his satisfaction at the heads of the Bill. It was his belief that 1140 if there was an inquiry into time Board of Health similar to that which had taken place into the Andover Union some years back, the necessity for the re-construction of the present Board would become manifest.

LORD SEYMOUR
said, he felt gratified in being enabled to offer his thanks to the Government for introducing a Bill which he believed would give much satisfaction not only to that House, but also throughout the country. He thought the course taken by Government was, under the circumstances, a very judicious one, and, with respect to the proposal to compensate Mr. Chadwick, he could only say that he should be very sorry if anything which he had said in that House were to prevent that gentleman from receiving compensation for his services during the long time he had been a public servant. He had observed the conduct of Mr. Chadwick for one or two years in connection with the Board of Health, and having occasion to differ in opinion from Mr. Chadwick, he had fairly stated that difference. It would, however, be most unfair if he were to endeavour to make use of any difference of opinion so as to prevent a public officer from receiving compensation for his services. He conceived that the services of Mr. Chadwick, particularly with regard to the original inquiry which led to the formation of the Poor Law Board, had been very meritorious, and had been of great value to the country. He approved generally of the Bill proposed now to be introduced by his right hon. Friend, though, of course, he could not at present express any opinion upon its details. As, however, they were to have an inquiry next year, it might be as well only to take the Bill at present for one year, so that, when the subject came under consideration next Session, they might be enabled to form some judgment of the constitution of the new department, together with the salaries paid and other details. He most anxiously desired that any measures adopted might work well in promoting sanitary improvements throughout the country, and he hoped at the same time that the new department would be so constituted that it would interfere as little as possible with that local self-government which was absolutely necessary in order to give confidence in any measures introduced by the Government.

§ MR. HENLEY
said, he thought the plan likely to be a good one, though it might require some modification. He en- 1141 tirely approved of the provision prohibiting officers of the Board from taking work upon their own account; but he did not attach so much importance as many hon. Members did to the President of the Board having a seat in that House. He approved of compensation being made to Mr. Chadwick, but whether the amount stated was the right sum or not he would not now undertake to say. At the same time, there was a general understanding in the House the other day, that the whole question in relation to the Board of Health and the existing law should be subject to inquiry. Such an inquiry was absolutely necessary; and as it should take place next Session, he hoped the present measure would only have a provisional character.

§ LORD JOHN RUSSELL
said, there could be no objection to an inquiry next Session into the working of the whole of the Acts relating to the public health, and with relation to the powers intrusted to the Board in carrying them out. It could hardly be doubted that for the future the care of the health of the country was a duty sufficient to occupy the official persons who might have charge of the department. There appeared to have been some misapprehension of what his right hon. Friend (Sir W. Molesworth) had said with respect to the President of the Board. What his right hon. Friend said was, that there should be only one officer, the President, capable of holding a seat in that House. As to the duration of the Bill, one year would probably be too short, as there was to be an inquiry, which might turn out a lengthened one.

§ MR. NEWDEGATE
said, he hoped that, after the failure of the Board of Health, as constituted by Lord Morpeth's Act, with its arbitrary and centralising powers—a failure which, he might remark, had been predicted by the right hon. Member for Oxfordshire (Mr. Henley)—the Government would be fully impressed with the absolute impossibility of the success of any system which was not founded on the principle of local self-government. With regard to his own constituency, he believed he might say that no greater service had ever been rendered to the great town of Birmingham than the prevention of the introduction there of the powers of the Board of Health, and the establishment of a system in lieu of them which, founded on the principle of local self-government, would be, he believed, permanent and successful.

§ MR. DUNCAN
said, he thought that, 1142 wherever it was absolutely necessary to interfere with local bodies, that interference should be as light as possible.