§ Major HILLSasked the Home Secretary whether the falling off in inspection and the incomplete reporting of accidents noted in His Majesty's Chief Inspector's Report for the year 1919 and accounted for by the vacancies on the staff owing to war exigencies are now remedied, and is the factory staff again at its pre-war strength?
§ Mr. SHORTTA number of new appointments have been made to fill vacancies, but the staff is not yet at its pre-war strength As the hon. and gallant Member will be aware, an important scheme of reorganisation, of which particulars were given in the Press last August, has been decided upon by the Government. This scheme provides for the amalgamation of the men's and women's staffs, for a considerable increase in the number of divisions and districts, and other changes It must necessarily take some time to work out and carry through in detail the necessary arrangements, but the work is being pressed forward, and I hope it will be possible to bring the staff up to its full strength under the new scheme shortly.
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§ Major HILLSasked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the increase and development of the duties of the factory inspectorate on the scientific and technical as well as on the administrative side, set forth in the Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops for 1919, he proposes to add substantially to the number of existing factory inspectors, so as to keep pace with the work entailed on the Department by the conditions of modern industry?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe scheme of reorganisation to which I have just referred will, among other things, considerably strengthen the inspectorate on the scientific and technical side, but I cannot in the present financial situation hold out hopes of any substantial increase in the staff on the administrative side in the near future.
§ Major HILLSasked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that the Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops was not this year published until October, some months after the passing of the Home Office Vote, and that it is difficult to raise any discussion upon a Report so belated, he will undertake that in future it shall be issued at least one month before the Vote is taken?
§ Mr. SHORTTIn normal times it was usual to issue the Report early in the summer, and it is hoped to resume this practice next year. As the date for the discussion of the Vote is not determined by the Department, all I can promise is that the issue of the Report will be expedited as much as possible.