Mil. A. L. STANLEY (Cheshire Eddisbury)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he can state the total number of inmates excluding casuals and insane, of work houses and other institutions in which paupers are received in England and Wales on the 1st January, 1907, together with the number and percentage of this total who were under and above the age of sixteen years, respectively, distinguishing, as regards those above the age of sixteen years, the number and percentage of those who were not able-bodied or infirm; and whether ho can give any information as to the number who were sixty-five years of age or upwards.
§ MR. JOHN BURNSThe total number of inmates of the institutions mentioned in the Question was on the 1st January, 1907, excluding the casuals and insane, 248,945. Of these 60,421, or 24.3 per cent. were under sixteen, and 188,524, or 75.7 per cent., were sixteen or over that age. Of the latter number 136,663, or 72.5 per cent., were classed as not able-bodied or infirm. This leaves 51,861 classed as able-bodied, but of these 31,556 were sick or temporarily disabled. Thus the total number of able-bodied inmates in health was only 20,305, of whom 11,508 wore men and 8,797 women. The Returns from which these figures are taken do not distinguish the number of paupers who are sixty-five years of age or upwards. The most recent information on this subject relates to the 1st September, 1903. On that date the number of indoor paupers of sixty-five or upwards (exclusive of vagrants) was 75,214, or 47.1 per cent of the total number of inmates of sixteen years of age and over.