§ MR. R. A. YERBURGH (Chester)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board, whether, in view of the statements in the Reports of the Sub-Commissioners appointed by the Royal Commission on Labour in reference to the question of cottage 576 accommodation for labourers, to the effect that, while on the estates of the large landowners and in the close villages the cottages are of sufficent size, in proper sanitary condition, and well kept up, in open villages and where land is held by small speculators there are a large number of cottages unfit for human habitation, the Local Government Board have drawn the attention of any sanitary authorities to the subject; and, if so, of what authorities?
§ MR. CHAPLINThe practice of the Local Government Board has been to refer to the reports of the Assistant Commissioners in connection with the examination of the annual reports of medical officers of health, and where the Reports of the Assistant Commissioners have contained statements respecting cottage accommodation the Board have communicated with the local authority on the subject when it has appeared to them that advantage would be likely to result from such communication. Apart, however, from the Reports of the Assistant Commissioners, the Board are accustomed, upon the materials furnished by the annual reports of the local authorities, to matters of sanitary importance in connection with the housing of the working classes. It would entail a great amount of labour to go through the files with respect to all the sanitary districts in the country for the purpose of preparing a list of the cases in which action has been taken in the matter.