§ MR. P. O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)On behalf of the hon. Member for East Wicklow (Mr. W. J. CORBET), I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been drawn to a special Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy to the Lord Chancellor, presented last Session, in which they state that, whereas in 1859 the number of lunatics, idiots, and persons of unsound mind in England and Wales was 36,762, the number had increased 1506 in 1896 to 96,446, showing a ratio to every 10,000 of the population of 31.18 as compared with 18.67 at the previous period, and also to the last (the 51st) Report issued by the Lunacy Commissioners, in which they regret the very large increase of 2,919 in the number of lunatics in England and Wales on 1st January, 1897; and whether he will consider what can be done, by promoting an International Commission or by some other means, to arrest the increase of insanity?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir M. W. RIDLEY, Lancashire, N., Blackpool)Yes, my attention has been called to these Reports—it was, in fact, at my request that the Lord Chancellor called for the Special Report from the Commissioners. The Commissioners, after a very careful investigation, consider that there is no important increase of fresh insanity; and I am not satisfied that an International Commission would throw any additional light on the matter. The question will, of course, continue to receive very careful attention.