§ Mr. VIANTasked the Minister of Health, whether his attention has been called to the suggestion made by the Middlesex joint vagrancy committee to the Surrey vagrancy committee that, in view of the congestion in neighbouring casual wards in Middlesex, in particular those of the Brentford union, they should reopen the Richmond wards; whether this appeal was taken into account by the Ministry of Health inspector, who staged that such a step was unnecessary; and on what facts this inspector based his decision?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI have carefully considered this suggestion, but I am unable to accept the view submitted by the vagrancy committee. I do not think that the multiplication of casual wards in close proximity to one another, 2479W especially in the neighbourhood of London, is conducive to good administration or that such procedure can be relied on to reduce congestion in a particular ward. I may say that rather more than a year ago I required the reopening of the Kingston wards, but this has in no way relieved the position of Brentford.