§ MR. FLOWER (Bradford, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if he can state the reasons why the Department have refused sanction to the Camberwell Board of Guardians to erect five additional cottages for the accommodation of children under their control; and can he explain why the Department advised the Guardians to send these children to the condemned Sutton Schools, seeing that the cost per week per child at Sutton is 12s. 10½d., and on the scattered home system 8s. 9½d.
§ MR. GRANT LAWSONThe Camberwell Guardians applied to the Local Government Board for sanction to hire five additional houses to be used as scattered homes for children. Sanction to the application was not refused, but it was pointed out that to increase the existing number of homes by these five, which were situated in different parts of the parish, would add materially 356 to the difficulties of effective supervision. Hence it was suggested that additional provision for children should be made by boarding out those eligible, or by increasing the accommodation at the Central Home. The children who, it was intimated, should, pending this provision, be removed to the schools at Sutton, were only those in the workhouses who were healthy and of school age. It was evidently very undesirable that any such children should remain in the workhouse. The Board have since been assured by the Guardians that the homes would have thorough supervision, and in these circumstances they have decided to sanction the proposed hiring, on the condition that the number of homes in the parish is subsequently reduced to a maximum of thirty-one.