§ Mr. DEVLINasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the Report of Miss Martindale, the chief lady inspector in Ireland, in which she alleges that a medical officer of health refused to require the walls and ceiling of a workshop to be lime washed, although it was admitted that no cleaning of this kind has been done for nearly seven years, and stated that the workshop in question was no dirtier than his own consulting-room; will he state whose was the workshop, and who the medical officer referred to; and what action has been take in the matter by the Home Office?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am aware of the case referred to in the question. It would not be in accordance with the usual practice in these matters to furnish the names of the occupier or the medical officer, and no useful purpose would, I think, be served by my doing so in the present case. The lime washing of workshops is not required to be done at fixed intervals, as in the case of factories, but the local authority have a discretion to require it when it is considered necessary for the health of the workers, and the Department can only intervene when there has been default on the part of the authority. The question of taking proceedings in this case in default of the local authority was carefully considered; but it was decided that the circumstances were not such as to make this course advisable.