§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, under the Local Government Act of 1888, or any other Statute, it is legal for a county pauper lunatic asylum to be managed by a joint committee, of which ten are appointed by the County Council, and five by voluntary subscribers, only 13 in number, whose annual voluntary subscription amounts to no more than £40 13s.; and whether, in such circumstances, and having regard to the fact that the business connected with such asylums is part of the administrative business of the county involving the expenditure of large sums out of the rates, it is legal for such voluntary subscribers, who are in no sense responsible to the County Council or to the ratepayers, to speak and vote at the meetings of such committee?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. RITCHIE,) Tower Hamlets, St. George'sI am advised that the arrangement referred to could not be made now; but that it was properly made under the Acts in force when the asylum was built, to which I presume the hon. Member refers—I mean the Cornwall County Lunatic Asylum, which was established 1068 at the joint expense of the county and of subscribers under Acts of Geo. III. and Geo. IV. The effect of numerous subsequent Statutes on this state of things is a question of some difficulty, and the Lunacy Commissioners have advised the Visiting Committee to take legal advice on that point.