§ 98. Mr. SANDERSasked the President of the Local Government Board on what ground the Board have refused to sanction the proposed payment by the Somerset County Council of a subscription and personal expenses in connection with the attendance of the county medical officer of health at the congress of the Royal Sanitary Institute, to be held at Exeter in July next?
§ Mr. BURNSI am not aware of any lawful authority for expenditure of this kind. Moreover, the congress referred to is, I believe, held annually, and I do not consider that I could properly sanction under the Local Authorities (Expenses) Act., 1887, recurring expenditure by local authorities in connection with such conferences.
§ 99. Mr. SANDERSasked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to a circular letter sent to county councils by the National Association for the Prevention of Infant Mortality and for the Welfare of Infancy, in which it is stated that they have reason to state that the expenses of delegates attending this conference will be passed by the Local Government Board; whether this statement was authorised by the Board; and, if so, on what grounds the Board are ready to authorise this expenditure while refusing to sanction the expenses of the attendance of delegates at the Congress of the Royal Sanitary Institute?
§ Mr. BURNSThe Local Government Board have expressed their willingness to 387 entertain applications from local authorities for sanction under the Local Authorities (Expenses) Act, 1887, to the reasonable expenses of not more than two delegates attending the forthcoming International Conference on Infantile Mortality. It is not the Board's usual practice to sanction proposed expenditure by local authorities on attendance at conferences for which there is no statutory authority. In the instance referred to, however, the subject of the conference being of special importance and interest I have agreed to treat it exceptionally.