asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the provisions of Section 2 of the Ministry of Health Act, 1919, which imposes upon him the duty of taking all such steps as may be desirable to secure the preparation, effective carrying out, and coordination of measures conducive to the health of the people, he will consider the desirability of recommending the payment of adequate salaries to sanitary inspectors and health officers as one method of giving effect to the Section in question?

asked the Minister of Health whether, seeing that the terms for all appointments as sanitary inspectors must now be submitted to him by local authorities before advertising such positions, when such approval is sought, he has any regard for the salary which is offered as being an adequate one, having in view the responsible duties of the officer to be appointed?

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that many candidates applying for appointments in the public health services at totally inadequate salaries do so on account of their individual circumstances, and are glad to find employment at any salary, he will consider the advisability of encouraging local authorities to give adequate remuneration for this service?

It is my practice, when my approval is sought for the appointment of a sanitary inspector, to consider whether the salary proposed is adequate to secure efficient service. As I stated in reply to a question on this subject on the 14th instant, I cannot, in present circumstances, require local authorities to pay salaries in excess of what they themselves consider necessary and what enables them to secure efficient service.

Seeing that the Government pay half the salary, will not the Department consider the advisability of laying down a scale below which public authorities shall not fall—a minimum salary for these officers.?

I think it would be very difficult to do that. What we have to make certain of is that the salaries offered are sufficient to command the services of efficient inspectors, and, as long as we can get that, I think it would he very difficult to lay down a hard-and-fast line as to what, the salary should be.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in certain districts quite inefficient persons have been appointed, simply because the salary is no enough to attract an efficient person?