§ MR. VINCENT KENNEDY (Cayan, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the Report for May of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, in which it is 874 stated that the comfort and welfare of some 11,036 children were affected, involving 5,091 offenders, that sentences aggregating forty-two years one month and two days imprisonment were inflicted, and £61 9s. paid in fines, and will he state the nature of the cruelty alleged; and whether the figures include 2,979 children who were insured for £15,348, forty-four of whom met their death.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERS-DOUGLAS, Kent, St. Augustine's)I have seen the Report referred to by the hon. Member. Particulars of the complaints are given in the Report; and it will be seen from them that the great majority were cases of neglect, starvation, ill-treatment, or assaults. I have ascertained that, of the children known to be insured, fourteen died. The figure forty-four represents the total number, amongall the cases inquired into by the society, which resulted in death.