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6
Asylums Board were, with minor exceptions, automatically transferred
to the County Councils, thus the L.C.C. are solely
responsible now for the control of all Hospitals directly
supported by the rates. That admittedly this is a huge task is
clear when it is realised that a special provision is made in the
Act applying to London only, whereby the Minister of Health
may make an Order transferring or delegating any of their
existing functions to the Metropolitan Boroughs. At the moment,
the only duties transferred to the local authorities are those
relating to the registration of Births and Deaths and to Vaccination.
Under the existing system of Health administration in
London there are still numerous examples of overlapping of
duties and of instances of dual control. Thus the County Council
which is primarily a supervisory authority is also engaged in
administering in an executive capacity functions which can quite
easily be performed by the individual local authorities. In
support of this, contention 1 would remind the Council that in
1923 the County Council delegated to us for a period of one
year certain duties in regard to the inspection of Lying - in
Homes under the L.C.C. (General Powers) Act, 1915, and the
Children Act, 1908, and at the termination of this arrangement
the L.C.C. paid a warm tribute to the manner in which the
duties had been carried out, but were not willing to continue
the arrangement.
Representations have been made from time to time relative
to the delegation of such duties and I am certainly of opinion
that the Minister of Health should be approached with a view
to granting an Order under Section 64 of the Local Government
Act, 1929, transferring to the Metropolitan Boroughs the undermentioned
powers and duties at present undertaken by the
L.C.C.
(a) Midwives' Act, 1902/18; Mid wives' Maternity
Homes Act, 1926.
(b) Children Act, 1908 (part 1).
(c) Adoption of Children Act, 1926 (Section. 8).
(d) Nursing Homes (Registration) Act, 1927.
Should such an Order be granted there is no doubt whatever
that the high standard of Health administration would be
maintained by the Metropolitan Boroughs with greater economy,
and difficulties arising at present on many matters would soon
cease.