§ SIR J. DICKSON-POYNDER (Wiltshire, Chippenham)To ask the Pre- 580 sident of the Local Government Board whether the Department have Returns showing the number of vagrants relieved in each Poor Law area in 1905 or 1904, and the proportion of them who were discharged soldiers; and, if so, whether he will cause such information to be made public.
(Answered by Mr. John Burns.) The Returns as to pauperism in England and Wales, which are published half-yearly, show the number of vagrants relieved in each Poor Law union on the 1st January and the 1st July in each year. The last of these Returns which has been published relates to the enumeration taken on July 1st, 1905. I have no Returns showing the proportion of the vagrants relieved in 1904 and 1905 who were discharged soldiers. The latest Parliamentary Return on this subject of which I am aware is one which was made in 1898 by the War Office, and which related to the number of discharged soldiers relieved on December 20th, 1897.