§ MR. MANSFIELDI beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been drawn to a Resolution, recently passed by the Sleaford Board of Guardians, commenting adversely on the prohibition of nonresident relief to a widow and children of a person who may have died in the union of his settlement, and declaring that the provisions of the Outdoor Relief Regulation Order, 1852, call for revision; whether he is aware that the case before the Board was one in which a starving 1024 widow and her children could not be granted outdoor relief by either the Sleaford or the Boston Guardians; and whether he will consider the advisability of amending the Order to meet such cases as this.
§ MR. GRANT LAWSONMy attention has been drawn to the Resolution referred to. With regard to the particular case mentioned, it was the duty of the Boston Guardians to relieve the woman if she was destitute whilst resident in their union, and upon the information before me it would appear that they might have done so by granting outdoor relief. Moreover, the Sleaford Guardians might apparently have given her non-resident relief provided that they reported the case to the Local Government Board and obtained their approval. I understand, however, that the woman soon went back to reside in the Sleaford Union, where she was granted outdoor relief. It does not appear to me that any alteration in the Order is necessary to meet cases of this kind.