§ MR. RAMSAY MACDONALD (Leicester)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any of the factory inspectors on probation, who have not yet passed an examination in factory law, have been entrusted with cases in Court involving questions of breaches of the factory law; and, if so, with what result.
§ MR. HERBERT SAMUELThe practice of the Department is for prosecutions to be undertaken by the more experienced inspectors in a district. I find that in only two cases have prosecutions been undertaken by inspectors who had not at the time passed the examination in factory law; in one case a conviction was obtained—the other case, which was taken by the junior inspector in an emergency, was dismissed.
§ MR. RAMSAY MACDONALDI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Factory Department receives reports from inspectors and assistant inspectors showing the amount of time spent by them in office work, and in work out of offices of factory and workshop inspection; and whether he could state how the time of the inspectors and assistant inspectors for each division was distributed under these two heads for the month of January last.
§ MR. HERBERT SAMUELThe chief inspector receives annually from the divisions returns showing the amount of time spent in office work and inspection work respectively. The figures for a single month could only be obtained by calling for a special return which would involve a good deal of the clerical work which I infer from the Question the hon. Member deprecates: moreover the figures for a single month might not give a true average. I will see whether the tabulation of the figures for 1907 which have not been received can be expedited, and will communicate further with the hon. Member.
§ MR. RAMSAY MACDONALDWill the hon. Gentleman consider the possibility in the tabulation of showing month by month how the time is arrived at in this way?
§ MR. HERBERT SAMUELYes, if it does not involve an amount of labour out of proportion to the results.