§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the relieving officer of the town of Dereham, in the Mitford Union of Norfolk, resides at Reymerston, a distance of seven miles from Dereham, and that when a poor person requires a coffin the relatives have to go the whole of that distance and back in order to obtain the necessary order; and whether, as the delay then arising frequently causes the retention of the un-coffined corpse for several days in the living and sleeping rooms of the family, he will take steps to secure that the relieving officer, or his deputy, shall reside either in or within a short distance of the town?
§ *THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. RITCHIE,) Tower Hamlets, St. George'sI learn that it is the case that the relieving officer whose district includes Dereham resides at Reymerston, a distance of between six and seven miles from Dereham. The relieving officer attends at Dereham on Fridays to distribute relief, and to receive fresh applications for relief. In the case of a death, and a coffin being required at the cost of the Union it would be necessary to communicate with the relieving officer. I shall be glad if the hon. Member will give me informamation as to the facts of any cases in which there has been undue delay in the provision of coffins, and I will direct the Inspector of the District to confer with the Guardians on the subject.