§ 26. Mr. CHIOZZA MONEYasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been directed to the fact that little children, sometimes as young as five or six years of age, are systematically sent by their parents to wait in the early hours of the morning at bakers' shops and restaurants in London to collect scraps of food, and that sometimes the waiting begins as early as two o'clock in the morning and continues until breakfast time; and if he can do "anything to prevent this cruelty to children or to cause special inquiries to be made with regard to the parents of every child found waiting in the manner described, with a view to stopping the practice?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. McKenna)It is the case that children are often sent to shops in London, in the morning, to receive food, but I am informed that they do not generally attend before five to 6.30. Even if I had power to do so it would be a serious matter to interfere with an arrangement which enables very poor persons to procure a supply of good food at a nominal cost unless there were clear evidence of injury to their health.
§ Mr. CHIOZZA MONEYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in one district in London the traders on their own initiative made a change which, while it does not prevent the children waiting for many 19 hours, does prevent them arriving before eight o'clock in the morning; and can the right hon. Gentleman do something to stimulate a similar reform?
§ Mr. McKENNAI regret to say that I have no power to do that.