HC Deb 14 May 1900 vol 83 cc36-7
MR. FLOWER (Bradford, W.)

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the death of a boy named Alfred Henry Waters, a pupil in the St. Nicholas Industrial School, Manor Park, who died from injuries received from a fall from a window, while attempting to lower himself there from in order to escape from the school; whether he can state the number of cases of absconding and of the infliction of corporal punishment in the last twelve months in this school; and if he has held or will cause to be held an inquiry into its discipline and management.

* SIR M. WHITE RIDLEY

I have received a full report as to the circumstances of the death of the boy Waters and as to the present discipline and management of St. Nicholas Industrial School. The accident happened on the 29th of last month. The boy had been admitted only on the 14th of that month, was never punished or even reproved by the officers, seems never to have complained of anything or anybody, was a general favourite, and was regarded as a very promising lad. I am satisfied that no blame whatever can attach to the officers of the school on account of this unhappy occurrence; and I do not propose to cause any further inquiry to be made. I may say that I directed a formal inquiry to be held in May of last year into the state of the school, with the result that an entire change of management was ordered and took place in October. The school is being carefully watched, and the effect of the new superintendent's management, which my inspectors report, I am glad to say, as very satisfactory and hopeful, is to be seen even in the figures of cases of absconding and corporal punishment, which were between January and December, 1899, one hundred and six and thirty-seven respectively. Of these fifty-five and twenty-three respectively took place before the change of management, and fifty-one and fourteen in the last three months of the year when the broken discipline was being restored. In the first four months of this year there have been twenty-one punishments and three abscondings.