§ 53. Colonel DAYasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Metropolitan Asylums Board have recently decided to discontinue the supply of butter to inmates during the summer months on the ground that, whilst butter contains the vitamines necessary for bodily health, this form of food is to be omitted during the summer 2016 months as sunshine supplies the vita-mines required; and will he recommend that the allowance of butter he continued irrespective of season?
§ The MINISTER of HEALTH(Mr. Nerille Chamberlain)I am advised that the use of margarine is quite compatible with a good diet, provided that the other constituents of the diet are satisfactory; and that the dietary adopted by the Metropolitan Asylums Board satisfies this condition, and further makes adequate provision for adjusting the diet to suit the needs of any particular case. In these circumstances I could not properly intervene in the manner suggested.
§ Colonel DAYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that medical officers of health throughout the country state that the children who are now leaving school are suffering from a low standard of health through being fed on margarine during the War.
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINI am aware that there is difference of opinion between doctors on many subjects.
§ Mr. LANSBURYIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that, in Poor Law schools medical officers have reported that children did suffer through having to eat margarine and that in most, if not all of them butter has been substituted, and will he tell us whether any of our children or grandchildren have margarine in the summer and butter at other times?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINI have no information as to the diet of our grandchildren.
§ Mr. LANSBURYThat is not what I asked. Does the right hon. Gentleman's wife change from butter to margarine in the summer time?
§ Mr. SPEAKERDomestic diet questions cannot now he argued.
§ Mr. LANSBURYI will ask you, Sir, to allow me to put this question, because it is important. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Metropolitan Asylums Board are dealing with children who are ailing children and only go to them because they are ailing, and would any hon. Member, when his children were sick, give them less value in food than when they are well?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINI am afraid the hon. Member did not attend to the answer I gave, in which I said the Metropolitan Asylums Board makes adequate provision for adjusting the diet to suit the needs of the children.
§ Mr. LANSBURYBut they do not do anything of the kind.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member keeps putting things in the form of assertions, which is not proper at Question Time.
§ Mr. LANSBURYMay I put this as a question? is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Metropolitan Asylums Board has passed a resolution that, as it is Summer Time and the sun is shining, these children shall not have butter, and do well-to-do people trust the sun to cure their children instead of giving them decent food?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is exactly what was asked by the hen. Member who put the original question.