§ SIR H. MAXWELL (Wigton)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has power to make order exempting certain industries from some of the provisions of the Factory Acts; whether such an exemption has been made affecting the necessary Sunday labour of women and boys dealing with fruit at factories during the months of June, July, August, and September; whether he will consider if a similar exemption may be extended to creameries during the summer mouths, seeing that in them a commodity more perishable than fruit has to be handled; and if this proposal commends itself to his judgment, if he will direct the suspension of the prosecutions now pending against the managers of certain creameries in Scotland?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. ASQUITH,) Fife, E.The Secretary of State has no power to grant such an exemption as is suggested in the question. The process of cleaning and preparing fruit so far as is necessary to prevent the spoiling of the fruit on its arrival at a factory or workshop during the mouths of June, July, August, and September, was exempted by the Factory Act, 1891, and not by an order of the Secretary of State. I cannot, therefore, discontinue the prosecutions to which the hon. Baronet refers. I am, however, making inquiries as to the arrangements in respect of Sunday labour in all the creameries in the Kingdom, and I will see whether legislation on the question is required.