§ 17. Mr. JOWETTasked the President of the Board of Education if, having regard to the number of children of school age who have recently been allowed to enter into employment, he will ask Parliament to pass a short Bill to provide that, where children of school age are employed in any capacity, their hours of labour, remuneration, and general conditions of employment must be approved by the Board of Education, whose inspectors shall have power to visit the place of employment and report on the conditions prevailing there?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Herbert Lewis)I recently addressed a circular to all local education authorities pointing out that if they took I the responsibility of excusing boys 1657 from school in order to serve the special needs of the country in the present emergency they could not reasonably disclaim responsibility for seeing that fair wages were paid to the boys thus exceptionaly excused. From replies which have reached me, I think that local education authorities generally have a proper sense of their duty in this respect and also as regards general conditions of employment, and I think it best that the Board should see what effect their appeal has had before considering whether further action is necessary.
§ Mr. KINGDid the circular definitely state that local authorities have, under the Education Acts, the Employment of Children Act, and the Children Act, the actual powers to impose conditions about wages which are asked for by legislation in this question1? Did the circular state that?
§ Mr. LEWISI should be glad to let my hon. Friend have a copy of the circular. I do not think it actually included all these specific statements which my right hon. Friend refers to.
§ Mr. LEWISNo; on the contrary, the replies received from local education authorities show that it has had a beneficial effect.