§ MR. J. HOLMSasked the President of the Local Government Board, If he will cause a memorandum to be prepared for the information of the House showing the general effect of the Public Health (Metropolis) Bill on the existing Law, and specially indicating what clauses are taken from Acts now in force outside the Metropolis and what clauses are taken from the Acts now in force in the Metropolis; and further explaining what controlling power and authority now vested in the Secretary of State for the Home Department or Privy Council is proposed to be transferred to the President of the Local Government Board; and what powers hitherto possessed by the local authorities are proposed to be modified under the provisions of the Bill?
§ MR. SCLATER-BOOTHI may inform the hon. Member that I have already given directions for a Memorandum to be prepared showing the clauses which are taken from the Acts now in force in the Metropolis, whether with or Without alteration, those which are from Acts not so in force, and those which are new. Much of this information is already given in the margiual notes of the Bill. But when he asks me to state what power now vested in the Secretary of State or Privy Council is proposed to be transferred to myself, I must reply that the Bill does not propose to transfer any such power; because all the powers of the Secretary of State and of the Privy Council under the Acts consolidated by the Bill were so transferred by the Local Government Board Act, 1871. 818 I am surprised that there should be any misunderstanding on this point; because it was only in January last that, in the exercise of the powers so transferred, I caused a circular letter to be addressed to the Vestries and District Boards of the Metropolis, on the subject of providing hospital accommodation under one of the Acts now proposed to be consolidated, and no exception was taken by them in reply to the authority under which I so addressed them. There is substantially no modification of the powers now vested in the local authorities. On the contrary, some fresh powers are given to them by the Bill. The only new powers proposed to be conferred on the Local Government Board are with respect to the provision of mortuaries and the approval of voluntary arrangements between two or more authorities for providing joint hospital accommodation.