§ Sir FRANCIS POWELLasked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been directed to an advertisement in the Poor Law Official Journal of the 12th February from the guardians of the Merthyr Tydvil Union for a foster-mother to take charge of a cottage-home at Aberdale, with the provision that candidates must be Nonconformists; and whether he is prepared to sanction an appointment thus made on sectarian grounds?
§ Mr. BURNSI have seen the advertisement mentioned in the question. The guardians have, I find, two cottage homes at Aberdale, one for Nonconformist children only and the other for Church of England children only, and they consider it desirable that the foster-mothers should be of the same religious persuasion as the children under their care. The course adopted by the guardians appears to me to be reasonable, and I do not propose to interfere with it.