§ MR. BARTLEY (Islington, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that in reports of young persons (especially girls) who have been started 1435 in life from the union workhouses, their names, and often their addresses, are given and published; and whether he will give instructions that this shall be discontinued, and the cases merely referred to by numbers or initials?
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERI understand that the report which has suggested this question was a report made to the Guardians of the St. George's Union by the Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants with reference to girls who have been placed out in service by the Guardians of that Union, and who have been visited on behalf of the Association. I have made inquiry of the Association, and find that the report in question was sent by them to the Guardians in manuscript. It appears to me that the report would be of little value to the Guardians unless the names of the girls to whom it refers were given, and also the addresses where necessary. The report has been printed, but I assume that this has been done by the direction of the Guardians with a view to a copy being supplied to each Guardian. I entirely concur in the view that there should be no publicity given to these reports, which I think should be regarded as confidential documents for the exclusive use of the Guardians, and I am making further inquiries of the Guardians on the subject.