§ 79. Mr. LORT-WILLIAMSasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he can state the result of the public inquiry held recently regarding the administration of the clerk to the Bermondsey board of guardians; why Mr. Oxley, in whose district Bermondsey lies, was appointed to hold this inquiry instead of an inspector from some other district; and whether it is proposed to hold a further inquiry regarding the allegations of irregularity on the part of the clerk in respect of payments made by him as clerk 885 to himself as superintendent registrar, in view of the fact that Mr. Oxley ruled that these matters were irrelevant to the first-mentioned inquiry?
§ Major ASTORThe Local Government Board's decision upon the inquiry held by Mr. Oxley was announced in their letter dated the 5th November last, of which I will send the hon. Member a copy. It is in accordance with the ordinary practice of the board that an inquiry of this kind should be assigned to the inspector for the district concerned. In view of the fact that the late clerk has resigned his position as superintendent registrar, the Registrar-General thinks it unnecessary to take any further action upon the allegations mentioned in the last part of the question.