§ 58. Mr. DAWESasked the President of the Local Government Board (1) whether he will circulate copies of the draft Poor Law Institutions Order to Members of the House and undertake not to issue it until 797 an opportunity of discussing it in the House has been given; (2) whether the Departmental Committee by whom the draft proposed Poor Law Institutions Order was prepared included any represenative of either the medical or nursing professions; (3) whether he will state if the draft Poor Law Institutions Order, now under his consideration, admits of an inmate of a workhouse being employed in nursing sick inmates if approved by the medical officer and acting under the immediate supervision of a paid officer in the sick wards; whether such paid officer is to be a trained nurse; and whether such an employment is in direct opposition to a memorandum issued by the Local Government Board in the year 1892, in which the employment of paupers in such wards was strongly disapproved; (4) whether the draft proposed Poor Law Institutions Order has been confidentially supplied to certain persons and associations; and, if so, to whom; and whether he has refused to supply copies to other associations and to boards of guardians who have applied for them; and (5) whether he will state if any provision is made in the draft Poor Law Institutions Order, now under his consideration, for a training qualification for nurses in small workhouses where only one nurse is employed; whether it is provided that if in any workhouse there is no superintendent nurse the matron is to perform the duties of the position, and if any provision is made for such matron possessing an adequate training qualification; whether it is provided that the workhouse master is to have control of the sick wards and consequently over the superintendent nurse and her staff; and whether, if so, this would entitle the workhouse master to visit at any time any of the sick wards, whether male or female?
§ Mr. BURNSThe Departmental Committee appointed to consider the Poor Law Orders with a view to their consolidation and amendment have not yet made their Report to me, and consequently I am not in a position to say what their proposals are. I understand that some time ago the Committee invited the observations of the Poor Law Unions Association and some other bodies upon certain of their proposals. As soon as I receive their Report, which I understand will include a draft Order, I will give consideration to the various matters referred to by my hon. Friend, including the suggestion that the draft Order shall be laid upon the Table.