§ MR. WEDGWOODI beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the speech of the chairman of the Staffordshire Education Committee in which he states that the efficiency or otherwise with which the local authorities put into operation the medical inspection of school children will be a determining factor in the annual grant given by the Board of Education; whether this is generally known by all local education authorities; and whether the Board will circularise authorities, stating at the same time that they consider the appointment of whole-time doctors, as in Staffordshire, to be the surest way of securing this efficiency.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Mr. MCKEXNA, Monmouthshire, N.)The Board have stated in Section 10 of the Memorandum on Medical Inspection, which has been issued to all local education authorities, that the effectiveness of the minimum inspection required under the Act will in future be one of the elements to be considered in determining the efficiency of each school as a grant-aided school. The appointment of whole-time medical officers will no doubt be advisable in the larger and more populous districts, but in view of the differences in area and population among the various local education authorities who are charged with the duties of inspection, I do not think an expression of opinion, such as my hon. friend suggests, could lie made of universal or even of general application. The Board will always be happy to give advice to any authority who desires to consult them, but the detailed arrangements and personnel required will be matters in the first instance for the consideration of the authority in the light of local circumstances and existing public health organisation.