§ Mr. NEEDHAMasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will state the number of Poor Law unions and separate parishes with Poor Law administration in England and Wales; in how many Poor Law institutions in England and Wales are sick poor medically treated; how many of such institutions have a resident medical officer; how many Poor Law hospitals are there in England and Wales with administrations distinct from that of the institution (formerly the workhouse); and in how many Poor Law unions in England and Wales are the children other than sick or infants under four years of age wholly maintained in the institutions, and how many unions, combination of unions, or separate parishes possess separate schools and homes for the maintenance and education of children who become chargeable to the guardians?
Mr. FISHERThere are in England and Wales 636 Poor Law unions,i.e., separately administered parishes or unions of parishes. Every board of guardians either has at least one institution in which the sick poor are medically treated, or has a settled arrangement for their treatment in an institution belonging to another board. Cases of the latter kind are rare. There are ninety-five Poor Law infirmaries which have ordinarily one or more resident medical officers. I will 1227W send the hon. Member a copy of a Return in which the various Poor Law infirmaries are classified. There are probably no cases in. which all chargeable children above the age of three are maintained in the same institution as adults. The Regulation which requires that all such children shall be removed has been suspended in 148 cases owing to causes due to the War. There are thirty separate schools; and 283 unions have provided separate homes for children.