§ 32. Mr. W. THORNEasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will request the Poor Law inspector, Mr. G. Harvey, to supplement the statistics relating to the relief of the poor which he recently sent round to the unions of the eastern district by giving either the cost of the items of indoor relief not included in indoor maintenance, or the total cost of poor relief; whether other inspectors have from time to time given statistics similar to those of Mr. Harvey whether he will give the hon. Member, or send to the Library of the House of Commons, copies of the statistical returns issued by the inspectors at the public expense during the last three years; and whether the object and effect of omitting complete statistics as to the cost of indoor relief is to conceal the cost of the workhouse and other indoor relief with a view of discouraging out-relief, or, if not, what is the object of giving statistics which are incomplete, instead of giving complete ones?
§ Mr. BURNSMany of the inspectors of the Local Government Board have been accustomed to circulate from time to time amongst the guardians of unions in their districts statements of various kinds 30 enabling comparisons to be made between union and union. These statements have, I understand, been much appreciated by guardians. I need hardly say that the issue of these statements has had no such object as is suggested in the question. The figures which Mr. Hervey supplied were derived from the half-yearly returns of cost of in-maintenance and out-relief. As the hon. Member will see from the answer I am circulating to his general question, I am proposing to expand the next of these periodical returns in a way which will, I hope, meet his views.