§ Mr. HILLSasked the President of the Local Government Board, whether his attention has been directed to the fact that, out of forty-four deaths caused by starvation, or accelerated by privation, in London in 1911, ten took place in Shore-ditch and six in Whitechapel; what are the hours during which applicants are not admitted to the workhouse or casual ward in those districts; and what steps, if any, the Local Government Board or the Poor Law inspector for the district have taken to reduce the number of deaths from starvation or privation in these unions?
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§ Mr. BURNSI am aware of the cases referred to by the hon. Member, which appear to have been of the homeless or vagrant type in which death was due to exposure or neglect. I understand that in both of the unions mentioned sudden and urgent cases are admitted to the workhouse or infirmary at any time of the day or night. In the year 1911 persons were admitted to the casual wards of these unions after 6 o'clock in the evening until the wards were full. As regards the last part of the question, I may say that none of the deaths referred to appears to have resulted from a refusal of admission to a Poor Law institution. The cases for the most part seem only to have been brought to the notice of the Poor Law authorities when it was too late to save life. Perhaps I may remind the hon. Member of the arrangements I have recently made to secure closer co-operation between the central authority, the police, and the voluntary associations who deal with this class of persons, and, so far as these unfortunate cases are preventible, I should hope that the new arrangements may be of assistance.
§ Mr. HILLSasked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the case of a man named Wilson who, on 9th January, applied for admission to the casual ward at West Ham; whether this was refused by the porter; whether he then, on the advice of a constable, applied to the relieving officer, who neither gave him an order for the workhouse nor any relief; whether Wilson, accompanied by the constable, applied again at the casual ward, but was again refused by the porter, who said he dared not take in anybody after six o'clock; whether Wilson had been discharged that day from Whitechapel infirmary and was quite destitute; whether the constable had no alternative but to lock the man up, though he had committed no offence, in order to give him shelter for the night; whether he will ask his Poor Law inspector for the district to inspect the relieving officer's application and report book, the porter's book, and the minutes of the guardians, to see if proper entries have been made and that the matter was duly reported to the guardians; and will he obtain a report from his inspector and the police on the matter?
§ Mr. BURNSMy attention had already been called to this case, and I am making inquiries with respect to it.