§ Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALDasked the Secretary of State far the Home Department (1) whether his attention had been drawn to the very differing standards used by different local authorities in reporting action taken under Section 108 of the Factory and Workshop Act, as shown by the Home Office Summary of Reports for 1908, Code 5110; whether he would explain the difference between Derbyshire and Devonshire shown by the fact that, whilst Devonshire returned a considerably higher number of out-workers, 1,493 against 1,290 in Derbyshire, the instances given of outwork in unwholesome premises in Devon- 1242 shire amounted to only nine, whilst in Derbyshire they were 115, or between Greenwich, which with 232 out-workers had fourteen similar instances, and Hackney with 3,354 out-workers but with no unwholesome premises to report; (2) whether his attention had been called to such further disparities in the Home Office Return [Code 5110] as were shown with regard to notices served under Section 108 by various local authorities; whether he could explain why on 104 instances of outwork in unwholesome premises in Derby only thirteen notices had been served, whilst on 111 instances in Leeds 111 notices had been served, or why, in the neighbouring towns of Great Yarmouth and Norwich the former had served twelve notices on fourteen instances, and the latter ten notices on 129 instances, and why Newcastle reported having served fifty-one notices on forty-five instances; and whether the attention of the local authorities concerned had been drawn to these discrepancies, and explanations asked for; and (3) whether, in view of the many disparities so clearly pointed out in the Chief Inspector's introductory note to the Return, Code 5110, which were in many points more pronounced than in 1907 and showed but little improvement during the five or six years during which the Return had been issued, in spite of the circulars issued for the Home Office and the conference of medical officers held at the Home Office in 1907, he had considered how he could raise to a higher and more uniform standard the action taken by the local authorities and secure greater accuracy in the records of that action sent to the Home Office?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe administration of the provisions of Section 108 with regard to employment in unwholesome premises rests entirely with the local authority, and does not come within the jurisdiction of the factory inspectors. The figures in the tables are supplied voluntarily by the medical officers of health, at the request of the Home Office, and the Department, though it endeavours to secure the correction of obvious errors spearing on the face of the Returns, has no power to intervene with regard to the administrative action taken by the local authorities under the Section. My right hon. Friend will consider whether anything further can be done to improve the Returns, but the chief inspector and staff cannot give more time to the revision of the statistical 1243 information supplied by the local authorities without encroaching on the time which is and ought to he devoted to their own proper work.
§ Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALDWill my hon. Friend consider the advisability of ceasing to publish this Return at all, in view of its unsatisfactory character?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI agree with the hon. Member. I think the Return is thoroughly unsatisfactory, and the point is worth considering.