§ 68. Mr. MATTERS(for Mr. ERNEST WINTERTON) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in the appointment of Mr. Freeman Newton as Chief Constable for the county of Hereford in 1929, the production of a medical certificate of physical fitness was required as one of the qualifications of appointment; and, if so, whether such certificate was procured and by whom it was given?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Clynes)As Mr. Newton had been appointed so recently to be Chief Constable of the City Force, his appointment as Chief Constable of the county was rather in the nature of an extension of his jurisdiction than a new appointment. I understand, therefore, it was not considered necessary to require further medical certificate. I should like to add that Mr. Freeman Newton had not only been given a certificate of fitness by the medical officer of the City Force, but had been examined and certified fit by the then chief medical officer for the Metropolitan Police—the independent medical authority to whom I referred in a previous reply.
Mr. FRANK OWENWill the right hon. Gentleman give the same information about the chief constable of Loughborough, provided I have the courtesy to inform the sitting Member?