§ MR. PENN (Lewisham)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he has considered the objections to the Hither Green site, and the recommendations in favour of the several alternative sites for a fever hospital in Lewisham that have been brought before him.
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERThe proposal of the Metropolitan Asylums Board to purchase a site at Hither Green for the erection of a hospital was the subject of an exhaustive local inquiry by the Metropolitan Inspector and the Medical Officer for Poor Law purposes of the Local Government Board. After the inquiry representations were made to me on behalf of the opponents, who submitted several alternative sites. I referred these proposals to the Inspectors for a further Report, and I also submitted them to the managers of the Metropolitan Asylum District. I thought it right before coming to a decision to visit all the sites in company with my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and Sir Hugh Owen, the Permanent Secretary, and after the most anxious consideration of all the facts, both with regard to the site proposed and the alternative sites, I came to the conclusion that I should not be justified in withholding the assent of the Local Government Board to the proposal of the managers.