§ 34. Mr. HILLSasked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state what was the number of deaths in 1912 in England and Wales and how many in the Metropolis upon which a coroner's jury returned a verdict of death from starvation or death accelerated by privation; when he will publish that Return; how many of the like deaths took place in the first three months of the present year; how many of such persons dying in 1912 and how many of those dying in the first three months of 1913 were in receipt of old age pensions; what steps, if any, the Local Government Board and their inspectors have taken to reduce the number; and whether the Local Government Board will in future send down inspectors to see the relieving officers and guardians and thoroughly to investigate the cases and endeavour to find remedies?
§ Mr. BURNSNinety-eight cases were reported by coroners in 1912, of which forty were Metropolitan and fifty-eight provincial cases. Three of the ninety-eight persons were old age pensioners. The annual Return will be published in due course, but all the necessary particulars are not yet available. So far information of four cases occurring in 1913 has been received, one of which is the case of an old age pensioner. Whenever it appears to be necessary the inspectors of the Local Government Board confer with the Poor Law authority and their officers upon these cases, but there is no reason to doubt that Poor Law 1612 authorities are fully alive to the importance of the matter.
§ Mr. CROOKSWhat is the use of sending the inspector after the death? Would not it be better that the inspector should go and liven up some of these relieving officers, and save time?
§ Mr. BURNSNo one knows better than the hon. Member that inspectors do the very thing which he suggests, and in certain unions with which the hon. Member is not unfamiliar, the suggestion of the inspector has on more than one occasion been resented.