HC Deb 23 May 1892 vol 4 cc1517-8
MR. CHANNING (Northampton, E.)

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his intention to give effect to the recommendation of the interim Report of the Royal Commission on Vaccination, that vaccination prisoners should no longer be subject to the treatment of ordinary prisoners; and whether he will, in pursuance thereof, assent to the Second Reading of the Prisons Acts Amendment Bill now before the House, and give to these prisoners the treatment of first-lass misdemeanants, or introduce legislation to the same effect?

MR. SUMMERS (Huddersfield)

had notice also of the following question:—To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his intention to propose legislation to give effect to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Vaccination?

MR. MATTHEWS

The recommendations made in the interim Report of the Vaccination Commission involve a considerable and important relaxation in the law on this subject, and Her Majesty's Government think it right to consider the evidence on which those re-commendations axe founded more fully and carefully than they have yet been able to do before deciding what legislation they will recommend to the House, especially as small-pox has considerably increased in several parts of the country. The Government will lose no time in announcing the course they propose to take.

MR. CHANNING

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the interim Report dealing with the question of the treatment of prisoners does not present a simple issue upon which Her Majesty's Government could decide at once?

MR. MATTHEWS

It is not a simple issue—it depends on many considerations, and we are anxious to see the evidence.

MR. CHANNING

I can quite understand that it is necessary to fully consider the evidence in reference to the remission of cumulative penalties, but what I ask is that the Government should deal at once with the question of the treatment of prisoners, which is quite independent of action taken before conviction.

MR. MATTHEWS

The whole of the questions hang together, and this particular point depends on the view taken of the offence.

MR. PICTON (Leicester)

Does the light hon. Gentleman expect to conclude the inquiry in time to bring in legislation this Session?

MR. MATTHEWS

It is possible. The President of the Local Government Board is giving his consideration to the subject now.