§ Mr. BOWERMANasked the Minister of Health if be is aware that the payment of expenses of delegates of local authorities attending annual meetings and conferences convened by the Royal Sanitary Institute, the Municipal and County Engineers, the Sanitary Inspectors' Association, and similar institutions, has been refused; and whether, seeing that such conferences have proved helpful to local authorities and officials in the carrying out of their work, he will reconsider the matter with a view to sanctioning such expenses in future?
1700W
§ Sir A. MONDAs the conferences mentioned in the question do not, come within the terms of the Public Health and Local Government Conferences Act, 1883, there is no legal authority for The payment out of the rates of the expenses of delegates attending them, and in view of the need for economy in public expenditure at the present time I have felt unable to promise any general sanction to such expenditure.