§ 56. Mr. R. RICHARDSONasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the amount of relief administered by the overseers in England and Wales during the last five years was less than £500 in all; why he has done away with the system by which an order for medical or other relief could he obtained in every parish in case of sudden urgent necessity or dangerous illness, in view of the delay while an application is being made to the relieving officer, seeing that often a village is four or five miles from a relieving officer, and sometimes eight or ten?
§ 49. Mr. FREDERICK ROBERTSasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Royal Commission on Poor Laws reported that one reason why applications were not made more frequently to the overseers for emergency relief was that in many parts of the country the poor did not know that the overseers had these powers and that the Commission pointed out the mischief arising from non-resort to the overseers and recommended
§ number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief and the average amount of poor rate levied in the Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil Poor Law Unions for the three years ending 31st December, 1914, and for the three years ending 31st December, 1926?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINWith the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement containing the desired information.
§ Following is the statement:
§ that Poor Law medical relief should be made more accessible to all who needed it; and whether any and, if so, what steps have been taken by the Ministry of Health to make the powers of the overseers, in case of sudden and urgent necessity and sudden dangerous illness, known to the poor?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINYes, Sir. I may say that the Commission also reported that this particular function of the overseers was hardly ever exercised and then badly, adding that in these circumstances it was questionable whether, so far as the Poor Law was concerned, there was any necessity for continuing the office of overseer as a separate office. Under the Rating and Valuation Act the overseers will cease to exist on the 31st instant and their functions are being transferred to the relieving officers, whose powers and duties are well known throughout the country. It must be remembered that means of communication and transport in rural areas have- been much improved in recent years, and I see no reason to anti- 1353 cipate any serious delay in obtaining relief in urgent cases by reason of the transfer of powers to the relieving officers.
§ Mr. RICHARDSONIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is as much as nine or ten miles distance between some villages and the office of the relieving officer and what is to happen in the case of an emergency that might result m the loss of a life?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI can only point to the fact that these powers which have hitherto existed in the hands of the overseers have been used to a very small extent and I do not think they will be used to any larger extent in the future than they have been in the past.
§ Mr. RICHARDSONIs not the saving of one life worth all the money you would save?
Captain CROOKSHANKWould not the risk be very much reduced if the right hon. Gentleman considered with his colleague the Postmaster-General an increase in rural telephones?