§ 37. Mr. RAPERasked whether at a meeting of the Smallborough guardians, when an application was made for the necessary clothing for the child of an unmarried mother, who had refused the offer of the workhouse for herself and child, the deputy-clerk said that the regulations stated that a woman with an illegitimate child should not be granted out-relief; whether by Article XII. of the Relief Regulation Order, 1911, the guardians have power in a case of emergency to give clothing to a child, even though it is illegitimate; and what action he proposes to take in this matter.
§ Dr. ADDISONI am informed that the clothing for which application was made was granted by the guardians. In the circumstances no action upon my part appears to be required.
§ 38. Mr. RAPERasked whether at a recent meeting of the Llanfyllin guardians of the poor the clerk to the guardians advised his Board that an unmarried mother who was in the workhouse with her child could not leave the workhouse without taking her child with her, although neither she nor the guardians knew anything about the people to whom the child was to be sent to be boarded out; whether regret was expressed by the guardians that the child should, under the circumstances, be sent out, and the chairman said it was not right; whether under Article 29 (2) of the Institutions Order, 1913, the guardians had power to permit the infant to remain until they considered it safe to discharge the child; and what action he proposes to take in this matter.
§ Dr. ADDISONI have obtained a report upon this case of which I will send a copy to my hon. Friend. The report indicates that the information supplied to him is not entirely accurate and that the guardians have been able to arrange a suitable home for this woman and her child.
§ 39. Mr. RAPERasked whether it is the practice of some boards of guardians to refuse to admit into the workhouse children boarded out by their mothers when the mother has given up paying and the foster mother is unable to return the child to the mother without serious risk to the child; whether the death-rate of illegitimate children is double that of other children; and whether he will at once issue a circular to guardians explaining the right of an illegitimate child to necessary relief, and advising them to make the safety of the child their first object, and thus to supplement the circular of October, 1914, which deals with the children of widows?
§ Dr. ADDISONIt is the duty of a board of guardians to give relief in all cases arising in their district in which relief is required, and I am not aware of any practice such as is suggested in the first part of the question. The death-rate of children under one year of age during 1918 was 91 per 1,000 in the case of legitimate children and 186 per 1,000 in the case of illegitimate children.