In 1832 Michael Sadler secured a parliamentary investigation of conditions in the textile factories and he sat as chairman on the committee. The evidence printed here is taken from the large body published in the committee's report and is representative rather than exceptional. It will be observed that the questions are frequently leading; this reflects Sadler's knowledge of the sort of information that the committee were to hear and his purpose of bringing it out. This report stands out as one of three great reports on the life of the industrial class - the two others being that of the Ashley Commission on the mines and 's report on sanitary problems. The immediate effect of the investigation and the report was the passage of the Act of 1833 limiting hours of employment for women and children in textile work.
The head of Italy's disaster body, Luciano Maiani, has stepped down after seven colleagues were sentenced for their roles before the L'Aquila quake. Six scientists and an ex-government official were convicted of multiple manslaughter for giving a falsely reassuring statement. The 6.3 magnitude quake killed 309 people and left the city in ruins.