§ Mr. JAMES PARKERasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the Ilford Urban District Council passed bylaws regulating the employment of children, and providing, amongst other things, that the lowest employment age should be twelve years for boys and fourteen years for girls, and that eight p.m. should be the latest time for child employment; that these by-laws were submitted to the Home Office, and that a reply was sent to the urban district council to the effect that the two by-laws mentioned were 1795W without precedent, and suggesting that eleven years of age might be the lowest age for employment of boys, with prohibition of dangerous employments, and that nine p.m. should be the latest time instead of eight p.m.; and whether he will take steps to ensure that the power of his Department is not used to dissuade progressive local authorities from raising the age at which children may be employed and generally improving the conditions of such employment?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLA set of by-laws which the Ilford Urban District Council proposed to make under the Employment of Children Act were submitted to the Home Office for preliminary approval in August last. They included the two proposals stated in the question. A reply was sent from the Department in September pointing out that the proposal to prohibit under penalty all employment of however light or casual a character below the age of twelve for boys and fourteen1796W teen for girls went further than any bylaw in force elsewhere and seemed stringent, and inquiring what were the grounds of the proposal and whether the Council had considered the policy of prohibiting employment for all occupations up to eleven, the age adopted in London and other Metropolitan districts, and limiting prohibition above that age to occupations in which the conditions are specially injurious. No comment was made on the proposed limitation of hours for children. The council have, up to the present, not replied to the Home Office letter. I think that the hon. Member will agree that it is the duty of the Department, where stringent and exceptional proposals of this character are made, to satisfy itself that adequate grounds exist before allowing them to receive the force of law; but I shall be happy to consider carefully any explanations in support of their proposals which the Council may submit.