§ MR. W. T. WILSON (Lancashire Westhoughton)To ask the President of the Board of Education whether he can give the names of the local education authorities that have adopted the Provision of Meals Act, and the amount of the rate they are levying to provide the food, etc., required.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) Except in cases where it is desired to spend money from the rates upon the purchase of food under Section 3 local authorities are not required by the Act to inform the Board of Education of their proceedings under it, and I have, therefore, no complete information as to the authorities who have in one way or another taken advantage of its provisions. The following local education authorities have been authorised by the Board to spend money from the rates upon the purchase of food:—England: Aston Manor Urban District; Bath County Borough; Birmingham County Borough; Bootle County Borough; Bradford County Borough; Brighton County Borough; Bury St. Edmunds County 1400 Borough; Cannock Urban District; Crewe Borough; Durham County Council; Erith Urban District; Farnworth Urban District; Gillingham Borough; Halifax County Borough; Hartlepool Borough; Hastings County Borough; Hebburn Urban District; Huddersfield County Borough; Keighley Borough; Kent County Council; King's Norton and Northfield Urban District; Manchester County Borough; Newcastle-upon-Tyne County Borough; Norwich County Borough; Nottingham County Borough; St. Helens County Borough; Sheffield County Borough; South Shields County Borough; Swindon Borough; Tottenham Urban District; Wallasey Urban District; Walthamstow Urban District; Workington Borough; York County Borough. Wales: Barry Urban District; Cardiff County Borough; Mountain Ash Urban District; Newport County Borough; Swansea County Borough. I am not able to state that amount expended by each local authority to meet the cost so incurred, but under Section 3 of the Act it is limited to the amount which would be produced by a rate of ½d. in the £.