§ Mr. TURTONasked the Minister of Health whether, seeing that a county council is compelled to pay, through the medium of the Exchequer contribution account, to every urban sanitary authority whose area is situate wholly or partly within the county one-half of the salary of a sanitary inspector appointed by such authority, and that sanitary authorities are now empowered to appoint two or more sanitary inspectors, he will say on what grounds he has refused to accede to a request made to him by the County Councils Association that his sanction to the appointment by an urban sanitary authority of additional sanitary inspectors should not be given until the views of the 1202W county council as to the necessity for the additional appointments have been ascertained, and has thus departed from the important principle that financial responsibility should at least be accompanied by the right to be consulted as to the appropriateness of the purpose in respect of which such responsibility is incurred?
§ Lord E. PERCYThe Public Health (Officers) Act, 1921, which empowered urban sanitary authorities to appoint more than one sanitary inspector merely extended to urban authorities powers which had long been possessed and exercised by rural sanitary authorities and metropolitan borough councils. It does not appear to my right hon. Friend that this Act gives occasion for such a change as is suggested in the practice of his Department in dealing with applications for sanction to the appointment of sanitary inspectors.