§ MR. CLAUDE HAYI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that only two-thirds of the prison staff at Princetown are provided with housing accommodation; that in the older barrack quarters the rooms are small and insufficient in height; and that, owing to the supply by the prison authorities of accommodation for the prison staff being insufficient, working men in Princetown have difficulty in securing houses at rents within their means, although ample land is available upon which accommodation should be provided for the prison staff by the Government; and whether he will cause special inquiry to be made to secure scheduled for the purpose of notifying adequate accommodation for all prison officials, seeing that land can be acquired from the Government at a reasonable price for the housing of other workmen in the vicinity.
§ The SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERS-DOUGLAS,) Kent, St. Augustine'sOut of 235 officers at Dartmoor Convict Prison 185 or more than three-fourths are now living in quarters provided by the Government. The Directors are contemplating the building of additional quarters, and this scheme would probably involve the demolition of some of the old barrack quarters, the accommodation in which is admitted to be deficient, and would incidentally increase the supply of working-class accommodation available in Princetown. There is no difficulty about a site and the Directors will proceed with the work of providing quarters for officers at Dartmoor and other prisons as rapidly as the funds available will permit, but I cannot pledge them to give Dartmoor priority over other places where the needs may be more urgent.