§ Mr. A. T. DAVIESasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what proportion direct public assistance is now drawn from local rates and national taxes; whether overlapping in such direct public assistance has considerably increased during the post-War period; and whether he will institute an inquiry with a view to some amelioration of local burdens in necessitous areas?
§ Mr. BALDWIN:In the absence of a generally accepted definition of the term "direct public assistance," I am unable to give my hon. Friend a precise figure, but he will find full information as to the relative shares of the taxpayers and the ratepayers in the cost of various public social services set out in the return presented last July (House of Commons Paper 139 of 1922). The evidence as to the amount of overlapping between these services is somewhat conflicting. Naturally, with the great development of social services in recent years, and especially during a period of acute unemployment like the present, overlapping has increased, but I am by no means convinced that it has attained serious proportions. A Committee is at present considering what further steps can be taken to improve the co-ordination between the various authorities concerned.