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36
NATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT, 1948.
Section 47—Removal to suitable premises of persons in need of
care and attention.
No cases were dealt with under this section during the year.
Section 50—Burial and Cremation of the Dead.
Until May, 1949, Leyton Council continued to be responsible
for the burial of all persons who died in the area and no suitable
arrangements for the disposal of the body had been or were being
made.
In March, 1949, a Circular was issued by the Ministry of
Health intimating that the Minister had decided to ask Hospital
Management Committees to exercise their power to arrange and
pay for the burial or cremation of certain categories of deceased
patients, which included the great majority of patients dying in
hospitals whose relatives did not themselves undertake to arrange
for burial. In certain exceptional cases the Hospital Management
Committees were advised to refer the matter to the Local Authorities
upon whom the residual duty rests, under Sec. 50 of the Act, in
view of the powers of recovery from the liable relative conferred
upon Local Authorities.
As a result of this Circular, the Hospital Management Committee
made arrangements for the burial of certain categories of
patients dying in Langthome and Whipps Cross Hospitals as from
1st May, 1949.

It will be seen from the above table that the majority of the
cases dealt with were institutional. Since May 1st, when the