View report page

66
HOUSING.
In September, 1910, the Local Government Board issued
Regulations under Section 17 (1) of the Housing and Town Planning
Act, 1909. These Regulations aim at systematizing and enforcing, in
detailed fashion, the routine inspection of dwellings, with the aim that
sanitary defects shall be discovered, reported upon, and remedied.
The Medical Officer of Health is to report upon the particular
dwelling-houses which in his opinion call for inspection,from time to
time. Full records of all inspections made are to be kept, and these
must contain information as to the arrangements for preventing the
contamination of the water supply, closet accommodation, drainage,
condition of the dwelling-house in regard to light, the free circulation
ol air, dampness, and cleanliness; the paving, drainage, and sanitary
condition of any yard or outhouse belonging to the premises; the
arrangements for the deposit of refuse and ashes; the existence of any
room which would, in pursuance of Sub-Section 7 of Section 17 of the
Act, be a dwelling-house so danegrous or injurious to health as to be
unfit for human habitation; and any other defects which may render
the dwelling-house dangerous or injurious to health. The result of
any action taken has also to be recorded, and by Article 5:—"The
Medical Officer of Health shall include in his Annual Report
information and particulars, in tabular form, in regard to the number
of dwelling-houses inspected under and for the purposes of Section 17
of the Act of 1909, the number of dwelling-houses which on inspection
were considered to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as
to be unlit for human habitation, the number of representations made
to the local authority with a view to the making of closing orders, the
number of closing orders made, the number of dwelling-houses the
defects in which were remedied without the making of closing orders,
the number of dwelling-houses which after the making of closing orders
were put into a fit state for human habitation, and the general
character of the defects found to exist. He shall also include any
other information and particulars which he may consider desirable in
regard to the work of inspection under the said Section."