HC Deb 25 June 1900 vol 84 c912
MR. DRAGE

I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he has had under his consideration the state of affairs revealed in the Parliamentary Return on the casual employment of children for wages, issued by the Education Department in June, 1899; and whether he is prepared to introduce into the Bill to amend the Elementary Education Acts clauses to protect such children by a system of local bye-laws, to be enforced by the police, prohibiting such employment between certain ages and certain hours, and forbidding any child to be so employed without a licence.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST,) Cambridge University

The answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative. While I sympathise strongly with the views and suggestions of the hon. Member, I have little doubt that an attempt to deal with the matter in the Education Bill of this session would imperil its passing into law.