§ MR. WEIRTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to a circular, issued by the Scottish Operative Tailors' and Tailoresses' Association, relative to the effects to health arising from employment in pit or underground workshops in Scotland; and will he say what action he proposes to take in the matter.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Ritchie.) The hon. Member has kindly sent me a copy of the circular referred to in his Question. It is a paper which was apparently printed two years ago, but which was not communicated either to the Home Office or to the factory inspectors. Since that time the law with regard to insanitary workshops has been considerably strengthened by the Factory Act of last session, and I am informed that several underground workshops in Glasgow have been closed during the last two years. I am not prepared at the present time to propose any further amendment of the law; but if any cases of underground workshops which 495 cause injury to health are brought to the notice of the inspectors of factories they will do their best to deal with them under their existing powers or to put the local authorities in motion.