HC Deb 03 April 1905 vol 144 cc149-50
DR. MACNAMARA

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the Bill introduced by the hon. Member for the Barnard Castle Division designed to empower local education authorities to make provision out of the funds at their disposal for the feeding of hungry children, and to empower them also, where it may seem desirable, to recover the cost from the parents and guardians of children so fed; and whether, having regard to the unanimous recommendations of the Physical Training Royal Commission (Scotland), 1903, and of the Physical Deterioration (1904) Committee, he will grant facilities this session for the further progress of this measure.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

As the hon. Gentleman is aware, a Committee has been appointed to examine into the facts of this question; and I do not think that, pending the Report of that Committee, I can make any statement on the subject.

SIR JOHN GORST

Is it not a fact that the Committee appointed by the Board of Education is specially precluded from considering any scheme which would cast a charge on the public funds?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The main object of the Committee is to inquire into the facts, and it is, among other things, a real knowledge of the facts that we require before dealing with a subject which is of itself of a difficult character and touches very many thorny problems on all sides.

DR. MACNAMARA

Can the right hon. Gentleman hold out any prospect that this Committee will report before the close of the present session?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

No, Sir, I cannot well make any promise on that subject. It does not rest with me.

MR. J. F. HOPE (Sheffield, Brightside)

If any facilities are given to a Bill on this subject, will they be given to that introduced by the hon. Member for Hoxton?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I am not aware that any suggestion has come from this bench that facilities should be given to any Bill.

MR. KEIR HARDIE

In the event of this Bill being introduced under the Ten Minute Rule, could not all the Bills on the subject be referred by agreement to a Select or Grand Committee?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The Ten Minute Rule has nothing to do with the question. Indeed, the Bill might be introduced without any speech at all, under the privilege which private Members enjoy. Moreover, it is not the practice to refer any Bill to a Select Committee until after it has been read a second time. That is the rule under which we habitually work. I do not say whether it is a good or bad one.