§ CAPTAIN GREVILLE (Bradford, E.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that Dr. Reece, a medical inspector under the Local Government Board, while making an official inspection in Middlesbrough, and Darlington during March, recommended local authorities and others to use the glycerinated calf vaccine prepared by a particular private firm; whether Dr. Reece and all other inspectors are officially authorised to advocate by name the interests of a private firm; whether it is consistent with the regulations of the Local Government Board that officials should use their position as a means of pushing the sale of the goods of any particular firm; whether the matter has already been previously brought to the knowledge of the Local Government Board; and whether prompt steps will be taken to check the practice complained of?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARDI am informed by Dr. Reece that he has not, either in Middlesbrough or Darlington, recommended local authorities and others to use the glycerinated calf lymph prepared by any particular firm, but on one occasion, when conferring with a board of guardians who required immediately a large supply of lymph, he was pressed to state the name of some firm to whom a telegram could at once be sent, and he mentioned the only firm whose telegraphic address he happened to know. The Inspectors of the Department are not officially authorised to advocate by name the interests of private firms, and so far as I am aware there has been no instance where an official of the Department has used his position as a means of pushing the sale of the goods of any particular firm. I had received a communication on the subject previously to the notice of this Question being given, but as there has been no such practice as that suggested no steps on my part are necessary.