§ 41. Mr. LANSBURYasked the Minister of Health whether in view of the increasing number of persons using the casual wards in England and Wales, he will request the guardians or other authority in control of the casual wards in London, Sheffield, and Manchester to prepare a Report showing the number of men and women resident in their respective casual wards on the night of Wednesday 14th March, giving age, birthplace, employment, and history since leaving school, with special reference to any service with His Majesty's forces and present medical fitness and conditions of health, and lay these Reports as a White Paper on the Table of the House?
§ Sir K. WOODMy right hon. Friend will consider whether it is possible to obtain such a Report as the hon. Member suggests and how far the results of the inquiry would justify the very considerable labour involved in its compilation. It would not in any case be possible to secure a Report for so early a date as the hon. Member suggests, or to obtain with any accuracy all the particulars indicated in the question.
§ Mr. LANSBURYWhatever return is decided upon, will the right hon. Gentleman consider the widespread interest which the public takes in this question of the character and physique of the men 1135 who are obliged to seek the hospitality of the casual wards, so that we may know what type of men they are?
§ Sir K. WOODI will consider what it is possible to do in the circumstances.
§ 43. Mr. LANSBURYasked the Minister of Health whether he has sanctioned the scheme adopted by the Metropolitan Asylums Board for dealing with persons who desire shelter in casual wards, which proposes to establish certain centres to which male casuals are to be sent for the purpose of subjecting such persons to a task of work known as stone breaking; will he inform the House of the details of the scheme, the amount of stone that is to be broken, the period such men are to be detained, the hour of the day when they will be released, and what punishment will be inflicted on those men unwilling or unable to carry out the task; will he state the food allowance which will be supplied to the men engaged on this work; and has he any information as to whether the Metropolitan Asylums Board propose to institute any tasks, such as oakum picking, for women?
§ Sir K. WOODI understand that the Metropolitan Asylums Board propose to introduce a task of the kind described for a limited number of the casuals relieved in London. The proposal does not require my right hon. Friend's sanction unless the managers desire to depart from the requirements of the Casual Poor (Relief) Order, 1925, which deals with the amount of stone to be broken and the other matters referred to by the hon. Member. I will inquire what is the practice of the managers as regards female casuals, but I may say that oakum picking is not now a permitted task.
§ Mr. LANSBURYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether in the setting down of this scheme his right hon. Friend's sanction has been obtained?
§ Sir K. WOODNo, Sir, it is not necessary so long as the Order is complied with.
§ Mr. LANSBURYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether the Order lays down that the task must be stone breaking?
§ Sir K. WOODI will inquire into that point.
§ Mr. LANSBURYI want to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether his right hon. Friend will consider that this task is one of the most terrible tasks that can be imposed upon men of weak physique and that every Commission that has inquired into the subject has always declared against such a task being inflicted upon persons whose only crime is—
§ Mr. MONTAGUEAs a matter of patriotic duty, will the right hon. Gentleman undertake the task for himself in order to report to the House?
§ 44. Mr. WALTER BAKERasked the Minister of Health whether he has any evidence to the effect that vagrancy is on the increase; and whether he will supply any figures which may be available to illustrate the development of the problem?
§ Sir K. WOODThe number of vagrants fell substantially after 1911–12 and during the War reached a very low level. The numbers have now increased again to the pre-War level. I am sending the hon. Member a note of the numbers relieved in successive years at the end of January.
§ Mr. LANSBURYIs it not a fact that the casual wards in such places were empty during the War, and is not that evidence that when there is work for men to do they do not need to seek the casual ward?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is advancing an argument and not asking a question.
§ Mr. LANSBURYI want to ask whether the right hon. Gentleman will seriously consider putting in Palace Yard or some other place a cartload of the stone that these men are expected to break, and for which—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is going back to a previous question.