Mr. EDMUND HARVEYasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether his attention has been drawn to a report made to the public health committee of the Islington Borough Council that caramel wrapping was being carried on as a home industry by women and children; whether he is aware that deposits have been made by the workers to the employers amounting to as much as 5s.; whether the payments were made by weight, and often inaccurately; whether he has considered this treatment of wages in view of the provisions of the Truck Acts; whether he proposes to extend the Home Worker Order of 1907 to this trade and to food preparations generally; and what other steps he has taken and proposes to take to deal with this question; and (2) whether his attention has been 13 called to the conditions under which caramel wrappings is stated by the medical officer of Islington to be carried on in certain homes; whether he is aware that the work is done by persons suffering from infectious diseases and is therefore calculated to convey infection, to the consumer; and whether any steps are being taken to deal with the matter.
§ Mr. McKENNAThe Home Office received from the Medical Officer of Health for Islington a copy of his report on this matter, and inquiries have since been made into the conditions prevailing in this industry both in London and elsewhere. It appears that the work carried on in the cases referred to by the medical officer is not the wrapping of caramels, which owing to their soft nature could not be given out to outworkers, but the wrapping of some cheap kinds of sweets. Only one maker has been found who employs outworkers on this work, and he employs some thirty or forty outworkers under conditions which in many cases are extremely insanitary, and in some cases carry danger of infection. I propose to issue at once a draft order extending the provisions of Sections 107, 108, and 110 of the Factory Act to this class of work. As regards the mode of payment of these outworkers, I am informed that it is the case that payment is by weight, and that deductions which the workers have no means of checking are frequently made for alleged shortage. There is no power under the Truck Acts or any other Acts to deal with the checking of the weights on which these workers are paid; but the general question of checkweighing has been under consideration and legislation is in draft which would give the necessary powers for the purpose. In the meantime, I propose to extend the Particulars Order under Section 116 of the Factory Act which is in force as regards the sweetmeat industry so as to cover these outworkers.
§ Mr. SNOWDENCan the right hon. Gentleman say the name of the employer who has employed these workpeople in this way?
§ Mr. McKENNAI have not the name here.