§ COLONEL PRYCE-JONES (Montgomery Boroughs)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board, whether he is aware that in certain parts of the country the number of workhouses is in excess of the requirements; and inasmuch as this entails an unnecessarily large annual expenditure, will he consider the advisability of taking steps to reduce the number of such workhouses.
§ MR. CHAPLINThe workhouse accommodation in some cases appears no doubt to be in excess of requirements, but it must be remembered that in order to maintain proper administration in a workhouse, it is necessary that separate accommodation should be provided for each class of inmates and for the sick, and that there should be some spare accommodation for each class for use in case of need, as besides the sick there are seven different classes for whom separate accommodation should be provided; the spare accommodation is often more apparent than real.