NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS ACT COMMITTEE/PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOUSING COMMITTEE

Appointed under the Notification of Births (Extension) Act, 1915 (5 & 6 Geo. V c. 64) which extended the provisions of the Notification of Births Act, 1907 (7 Edw. VII c. 40) to all areas where they had not yet been adopted. The Act required the notification of all births to the County Medical Officer of Health and extended the provisions of the Public Health Acts (1875-1907) concerning the care of mothers and young children to county councils. The Council appointed 7 district health visitors (who also performed the role of school nurses reponsible to the Education Committee) under the supervision of the County Inspector of Midwives. The Committee was reconstituted as the statutory Public Health and Housing Committee in November 1916 when additional reponsibilities under the Midwives Act, 1902 (2 Edw. VII c. 17), the Housing, Town Planning, etc. Act, 1909 (9 Edw. VII c. 44), and the Tuberculosis Regulations 1911 of the Local Government Board were transferred to it from the General Purposes Committee (see CC1/5). Further responsibilities were added under the Blind Persons Act, 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. V c. 49), Adoption of Children Acts, 1926 & 1939 (16 & 17 Geo. V c. 29, 2 & 3 Geo. VI c. 27), Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927 (17 & 18 Geo. V c. 38), Local Government Act, 1929 (19 & 20 Geo. V c. 17), and Public Health Act, 1936 (26 Geo. V & 1 Edw. VIII c. 49). Under the Housing Acts, 1926, 1930 & 1936 (16 & 17 Geo. V c. 56, 20 & 21 Geo. V c. 39, 26 Geo. V & 1 Edw. VIII c. 51), county councils were required to monitor the housing conditions of the working classes in rural areas and assist in the measures taken by their rural district councils to improve them; in certain cases they could (be forced to) assume those duties themselves. The Committee was replaced by the Health Committee in 1947 (see CC1/33). For a full list of the Committee's statutory duties prior to the National Health Service Act, 1946, see the Clerk's Memorandum to the General Purposes Committee on 17th April 1947 (see CC1/24). See also the Clerk's Memoranda to this Committee on the National Health Service Act 1946 and Health Services to be provided by Local Health Authorities under Part III of the Act (13th Jan 1947 & 10th Mar 1947).