§ Mr. Peter Mahonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware that the change in the system of grants in respect of school meals is imposing a financial strain on local authorities with large school-child populations and that communities with a lesser number of children to educate are securing a financial advantage; and if he will review his appraisal of costs in order to re-establish the principle of providing for each local education authority according to its needs in maintaining this service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsI do not accept that the new system of rate support grant which comes into operation on 1st April will bear hardly on those local authorities with disproportionately large numbers of school children. The formula for the distribution of the needs element of the grant will take into account both the number of school meals provided by each authority and the extent to which its numbers of pupils and students exceed a prescribed level per thousand of population.