§ 46. Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKasked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that in the South Wales coalfields Poor Law relief is not granted to able-bodied married men who have exhausted their unemployment benefit but only to their families, and that hundreds of unmarried men, who are not qualified for unemployment benefit and draw no outdoor relief, are in great distress; and whether he will consider further and immediate action by the State?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of HEALTH (Sir Kingsley Wood)I have been asked to reply. I understand that in parts of the coal-mining areas, as in other parts of the country, outdoor relief is only given by the guardians to able-bodied men on a medical certificate. This is a matter within the discretion of the guardians. As regards the last part of the question, I may remind my Noble Friend of the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health in the House on 1206 Monday night, that his chief inspector and a medical officer are making investigations in South Wales.
§ Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKMay I ask the Prime Minister, to whom this question is addressed, whether he does not consider that the destitution in Wales is an adequate proof that the services provided by the Government and the boards of guardians are hopelessly inadequate to meet the situation?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI will answer my Noble Friend at once. We are watching the situation, as the Minister of Health said, with great anxiety and great care at the present moment. He will be able to make a clear statement about his action when occasion arises, and I have nothing to add at the moment to what has been said by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, but a very careful examination is being made of the whole situation, not only in that district, but in other districts.
§ Mr. SIDNEY WEBBWould the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to distinguish? He said that the relief was given on a medical certificate. That is not the question. May I ask if it is not the case that the relief is not granted to able-bodied married men, but only to their families? That is to say, relief is nominally granted to the men; it is not given to the men, but to their wives and children. Is that not the case?
§ Sir K. WOODI cannot possibly deal with an argumentative matter like that by question and answer.
§ Sir H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKWill the right hon. Gentleman tell me what are the visible means of subsistence of those men whose benefit has lapsed, and who are refused relief by the guardians?
§ Mr. LANSBURYDid not the Minister give me an answer two days ago, in which be said that the Minister of Health had exercised his discretion in informing boards of guardians that they were not to give able-bodied men and single able-bodied men relief under the Outdoor Relief Regulations Order?
§ Sir K. WOODYes, but there are always the qualifications which are set out in my answer to this question.
§ Mr. LANSBURYThe question we want answered is whether it is not a fact that the Minister of Health has prohibited hoards of guardians giving relief in the way in which they have been giving it for years, and consequently a very large number of able-bodied men are being starved with their wives and children, and he is ashamed to admit it.
§ Mr. AUSTIN HOPKINSONIs not the nature of the problem in the South Wales coalfield such that all forms of relief had best be concentrated upon the women and children, so as to leave the men free to get work?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe matter cannot be argued now.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThere have been already a great many supplementary questions answered on this subject.
§ Mr. BATEYOn a point of Order. The answer was connected with the coalfields, and mining members never had a chance to put supplementary questions. I want to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether we are to understand that in Durham the boards of guardians have discretion to give outdoor relief to able-bodied men?
§ Sir K. WOODI would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer which I have given. What I said was:
I understand that in parts of the coal-mining areas, as in other parts of the country, outdoor relief is only given by the guardians to able-bodied men on a medical certificate.
§ Mr. W. PALINGDoes that mean that able-bodied men have to live in a state of semi-starvation until they get to the point when they have to get a medical certificate?