HC Deb 12 April 1897 vol 48 cc936-7
MR. ERNEST FLOWER (Bradford, W.)

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board (1) whether he will direct the Metropolitan Asylums Board to make use of existing institutions; and, therefore, will the Local Government Board direct the Guardians to board out all eligible children; (2) whether those children who have contracted the diseases enumerated in the Order require institutional life; if so, is it the intention of the Local Government Board to instruct the Metropolitan Asylums Board to erect new institutions or to provide them with certain of the existing schools; and, if so, which of them; and (3) would he inform the House whether he intends to carry out those recommendations of the Departmental Committee which deal with the improvement of the education, the industrial training, the system of apprenticeship, and the greater control of the "ins and outs;" the development of small certified homes, the emigration of suitable children, and the alleviation of the condition of the 3,000 children now in the London workhouses (see page 67, paragraph 274); if so, to which of the various London bodies does he intend to intrust these duties?

THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. HENRY CHAPLIN,) Lincolnshire, Sleaford

With regard to the first two paragraphs, it will be the duty of the managers of the Metropolitan Asylum district, in the first instance to consider what provisions are necessary under the recent Order of the Local Government Board, and to submit them for the consideration of the Board. As the Order constituting the managers as the new authority has only been in force a few days, it is obvious that they cannot have come to any decision on the arrangements which they will propose, and that I cannot make any statement as to what the arrangements will be. I am not quite clear as to what is meant by "institutional life," and, with regard to boarding out, while the Board have been always desirous of encouraging the system, I am not aware that we have any power to compel the Guardians to adopt, it against their will; nor should I be willing to pledge myself to exercise that power as the hon. Member desires, even if we had. With regard to the long series of questions contained in the third paragraph, I have stated the general views of the Board in the House already, and it would be quite impossible for me to make a detailed statement upon them in reply to a question. But I may say that all the powers and duties of Guardians with reference to children which are not transferred to the Metropolitan Asylums Board will still devolve on the Guardians in accordance with the existing law. I should add that the hon. Member is in error in supposing that there are 3,000 children in the workhouses. I am advised that there are less than 1,000, and many of these on one ground or another are unfitted for ordinary school life. But it is always my desire to separate children as far as possible from any connection with workhouse life.