§ Mr. HILLSasked the President of the Local Government Board (1) what are the names of the Poor Law inspectors in whose districts old age pensioners died of starvation in 1912 or in the first quarter of 1913; and what steps, if any, such inspectors had taken to prevent deaths from starvation, especially of old age pensioners; and (2) whether his inspectors are taking any and, if so, what steps to reduce the number of deaths found by a coroner's jury to be clue to starvation or accelerated by privation; will he state definitely that in future in all cases he will send down 810W inspectors to see the relieving officers and the guardians and thoroughly to investigate such cases and endeavour to find remedies; and whether, if he is unable to send down inspectors with a legal training, he will make arrangements with the Home Office to send down Home Office inspectors?
§ Mr. BURNSIn the great majority of these unfortunate cases the verdicts of the juries indicate that the deaths are due to disease consequent upon or accelerated by want or exposure, or both, or to self-neglect. Anxious though everyone must be to see these cases prevented, it must be recognised that there will always be a certain number of persons who, through independence or for other reasons, prefer to keep their distresses to themselves, and will not make them public. In eighty-two out of the one hundred cases in the Return for 1911 no application had been made for poor relief, or application was only made when the unfortunate person was in a dying condition. In these cases the authorities have no opportunity of acquiring information of the circumstances until it is too late. Of the five eases of which information has reached me of the deaths of old age pensioners in 1912 and 1913, three occurred in London, one in Poole, and one in Cheltenham. If there is any suspicion of laxity on the part of Poor Law authorities in any instance my inspectors will take appropriate action, and if any further measures can be taken by my Department I shall be glad to see that they are adopted.
§ Mr. HILLSalso asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, seeing that destitute persons appear to prefer to starve rather than to apply for relief, he will issue a new Order for casual wards, so that the treatment of persons there should not be worse either as to task or food than that of a criminal condemned to imprisonment with hard labour in the lowest division?
§ Mr. BURNSI am not at present contemplating the issue of a new Order to regulate the relief of casuals and I must not be understood to admit that there are sufficient grounds for either of the suggestions conveyed by the question.