HC Deb 01 November 1906 vol 163 c1335
MR. ASHLEY

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board what portion of the grant to the unemployed will be allocated to the county of Lancashire.

MR. HAROLD COX

Before the right hon. Gentleman allocates any of this money, will he take care to ensure that none of it will be used for pauperising purposes?

THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. JOHN BURNS,) Battersea

My views on this Question are sufficiently well-known not to require any further answer. It is not proposed to allocate any specified portion of the grant to particular counties. The object of the grant is to provide a means whereby the funds of the Central (Unemployed) Body in London, and of Distress Committees elsewhere, derived from voluntary contributions may be supplemented in cases where there may be exceptional need for assistance in the coming winter in meeting the cost of providing or contributing to the provision of temporary work. It appears to me that some of the Distress Committees in Lancashire will probably require such assistance, and in these cases I have informed them that I should be prepared, should they deem it necessary to apply for assistance from the grant, to give consideration to the application.

MR. THORNE (West Ham, S.)

Has any of the money been allocated to distress committees?

MR. JOHN BURNS

Some of the money has already been allocated, and the process is still going on.