Mr. EDMUND HARVEYasked the President of the Local Government Board whether the Government are prepared to give facilities for a brief amending Bill to remedy the Provision of Meals Act, 1906, by enabling the local authority to provide meals for necessitous school children during the school holidays; or, in default of this, whether he will be willing to disallow any surcharge on local authorities which make such provision?
§ The PRESIDENT of the LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. Burns)The first part of the question concerns my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Education rather than myself. As regards the last part, I could not give an undertaking to disallow any surcharge in the in the circumstances referred to.
Mr. EDMUND HARVEYIs it not a fact that the right hon. Gentleman has already disallowed the surcharge against Bradford, and, if so, whether he will not extend the same benefit to other authorities?
§ Mr. BURNSThe facts are not as my hon. Friend suggests. I have received application from two authorities—West Ham and Mountain Ash.
§ Mr. DAWESasked the President of the Board of Education whether there was any Act of Parliament under which local education authorities were empowered to feed necessitous school children out of the rates during school holidays; and, if not, whether he would consider the advisability of introducing a Bill to amend the Education (Provision of Meals for Children) Act, 1906, with a view to the necessary power being conferred?
§ Mr. TREVELYANMy hon. Friend is, I suppose, aware that some doubt has been expressed as to whether a local education authority can legally spend money out of the rates on the provision, during vacation, of meals for children attending public elementary schools. As questions relating to the legality of the expenditure of local authorities are matters for the decision of the district auditors and the Local Government Board, it would be improper for me to express any opinion as to whether the expenditure in question is or is not legal. As to the practicability of introducing legislation on this subject during the present Session, I must refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for the East Division of Leeds on the 18th instant.
§ Mr. THOMAS HARVEYIs the hon. Member aware that the President of the Local Government Board has already replied to the effect that he will surcharge such expenditure, and that he is not prepared to disallow any such surcharge which the auditor may make? In view of that, will not the hon. Gentleman reconsider his answer?
§ Mr. TREVELYANI will inquire into the matter further.