HC Deb 22 July 1897 vol 51 cc772-3

It shall be lawful for the Board, upon written application by a parish council or ten or more persons interested, or upon the report of any of the inspecting officers of the Board, to inquire into the sanitary condition of any district or part of a district, and for this purpose the Board are hereby empowered to make inquiries, and require answers or returns to be made to the Board upon any question or matter connected with or relating to the purposes of this Act, and also by a summons, signed by one of their number or by the Secretary, to require the attendance of all such persons as they may think fit to call before them upon any such question or matter, and to administer oaths to and examine upon oath all such persons, and to require and enforce the production upon oath of all books, contracts, agreements, accounts, and writings, or copies thereof respectively, in anywise relating to any such question or matter.

DR. CLARK

moved to leave out the word "ten" and to insert the word "five." He observed that, while for the purpose of this inquiry it might be easy to get ten ratepayers in populous districts, there would be a difficulty in doing so in sparsely populated districts, and he would, therefore, suggest that five should be the number.

*THE LORD ADVOCATE

observed that in the Committee there was a great deal of discussion on this part of the Bill, and eventually on taking a Division they settled that ten ratepayers should be the requisite number. He was quite sure the House would do the right thing in keeping to the number so fixed upon.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 10—