§ LORD BALFOUR OF INCHRYEasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are aware that there are increasing piles of rotting food garbage outside public restaurants and eating places in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; whether such accumulations do not form a menace of public health; whether there is not a legal obligation on such places to collect and dispose of refuse and if, in the interests of public health, the Government will take up this question with the local authority in order to ensure of their immediate clearance.
§ BARONESS BIRKThe Government are aware of the industrial dispute which has seriously dislocated the refuse collection service in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. There is no evidence to suggest, however, that there is any danger to public health. The obligation to collect trade refuse in Kensington and Chelsea rests 1393WA with the Borough Council. While the dispute has continued the Council have made alternative arrangements to try to ensure that the refuse collection service has been carried on as effectively as possible. It is understood that discussions are going on with a view to ending the dispute in order that the normal collection service can be re-established.