§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
The EARL OF ONSLOWMy Lords, the Bill which I am presenting to your Lordships for Second Reading to-night is one which I think I may say is entirely non-controversial but is nevertheless a measure, of no small importance. In the 94 year 1913 two Acts of Parliament were passed, which are known as the English and Scottish Mental Deficiency Acts. These measures were the outcome of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Care of the Feeble-Minded, which reported in 1908 that "there were numbers of mentally defective persons whose training was neglected, over whom no sufficient control was exercised, and whose wayward and irresponsible lives were productive of crime and misery, of much injury and mischief to themselves and to others, and much continuous expenditure wasteful to the community." The passage of these measures was also strongly supported by many social workers, who advocated the application of scientific care and treatment to that class of mental deficients who were so mentally wanting as to be wholly dependent on others.
The Acts provided means for dealing with these people by placing them in suitable institutions or under proper guardianship, but as the Acts were passed in 1913 they had only come into operation a few months when the war supervened and the concentration of the national energies on war activities severely hampered their administration. It is now of the utmost importance that full effect shall be given to these Acts, and county and county borough councils in England have been urged to proceed with them. The process of demobilisation is increasing the need for speedy measures being taken. During the war many mentally defectives were able to obtain employment, and these people will shortly be, if they have not already been, thrown out of work. If any further argument is necessary, I might mention to your Lordships that the difficulties of exercising careful supervision of the feebleminded during the war has been a factor in the increase of veneral disease. Mentally defective persons are also specially liable to tuberculous infection. The provision of effective control is therefore an essential and urgent step.
A rough estimate has been made of the money required for England and Wales and for Scotland. For the former countries, £1,400,000, and for the latter £260,000 annually is required. At present Section 47 of the English Act and Section 37 of the Scottish Act limit the Government grant to £150,000 for the former and £20,000 for the latter annually. The main object of this Bill, therefore, is to be found 95 in Clause 1, and is designed to remove the limits on the Treasury contribution imposed by the Acts of 1913. Unless this is done it will be impossible for this much-needed supervision to be carried into execution, for there is no obligation on local authorities to carry out any of their duties prescribed in the Act unless the Treasury pays half the expense.
There are 21,700 persons who require supervision in England and 4,000 in Scotland, and each case requires about £60 per annum. It is clear, therefore, that the Exchequer contributions must be greatly increased; and it would seem that such an increase was not excluded from the minds of those who framed the Act originally, for the wording of the proviso in Section 47 "unless Parliament otherwise determines" would appear to contemplate an eventual alteration in the Exchequer contribution. In recent debates in your Lordships' House many noble Lords have urged upon the Government the need for economy, and I therefore venture to place before your Lordships certain further considerations which have moved the Government to ask Parliament to sanction this increased expenditure.
In the first place, as regards provision for the treatment of tuberculosis and venereal disease—two maladies which I have already mentioned to your Lordships as fostered by the lack of supervision over the mentally deficient—the Exchequer pays 50 per cent. or 75 per cent. of the local authorities' expenditure without any limitation on the total sum. Again, although the estimated expenditure may seem considerable, it is confidently expected to effect economy in the long run by reducing the charges on public funds resulting from crime, pauperism, drunkenness, disease, and illegitimacy. Furthermore, a considerable number of the mentally deficient who are at present a dead weight on the community can be trained to contribute to their own support, and others can be so improved in habits and conduct as to become less expensive and troublesome.
I turn now to the other clauses of the Bill. Both Clauses 2 and 3 refer solely to Scotland. As regards Clause 2 (abolition of the limit on the rate of interest at which district boards in Scotland may borrow), Section 61 of the Lunacy (Scotland) Act of 1857, in conferring power on district boards to borrow for capital purposes, provides that "such money may be so borrowed at 96 any rate of interest not exceeding £5 per cent. per annum." In view of the present dearer rates, district boards are being required to pay more than 5 per cent. for their loans, and the repeal of the restrictive words as to the rate of interest in the Act of 1857 has thus become necessary.
Then as to Clause 3, giving power to district boards in Scotland to borrow for current expenditure, I would venture to explain to your Lordships that the rates imposed annually to provide for the ordinary current expenditure of district boards are not usually levied till about the middle of November. Thus some months pass every year before the rates are received, and meantime the boards have to provide for current requirements. The power proposed to be conferred by this clause to district boards to finance themselves temporarily by means of overdrafts or otherwise to be repaid as soon as the rates are received, is already possessed by all other Scottish local authorities, and the extension of the power to the district boards has become necessary by reason of the increased activities of these boards under the Mental Deficiency Act. Clause 4 is purely formal.
From what I have said I hope your Lordships will see that all that is asked in this Bill is that the local authorities should be placed on the same footing as regards the treatment of mentally deficients as they are in respect of the treatment of venereal disease and tuberculosis, and I venture to hope that your Lordships will be pleased to accord a Second Reading to the Bill.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a(The Earl of Onslow.)
§ LORD BUCKMASTERMy Lords, that you will give a Second Reading to this Bill I do not for a moment doubt. As the noble Earl has pointed out, it intends to make extended provision for one of the most afflicted classes in our community, and I feel satisfied that your Lordships will be anxious to avoid interfering with any scheme intended for their benefit. Although I feel that it is impossible to oppose the Second Reading of the Bill, I do think it is right to point out the way in which it has been framed. At the present moment there are well-defined and existing limitations upon the expenditure to which the Exchequer can be put in connection with the subject. The main object of this Bill is to remove these restrictions altogether, not to extend 97 them and say there is to be a larger sum, but front the passing of this Bill all the restrictions and limits imposed on the amount which may be expended in any financial year on this subject are to be removed. The Statutes to which this is nothing but a small amending Bill regard it as essential in the public interest that you should define and limit the amount which the Exchequer should be called upon to pay, but by a small amending Bill of this description, instead of making the limit higher, you sweep away the limit altogether and leave the amount of expenditure unlimited.
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.