§ 39. Mr. McSHANEasked the President of the Board of Education whether he 1459 will institute comparative medical examinations of representative samples of school children of men who have been for some time unemployed and of men belonging to the regularly-employed artisan class?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANApart from the practical difficulties involved, I doubt whether the investigation suggested would lead to any useful results. I may, however, point out that it is the duty of local education authorities, as part of the ordinary work of the school medical service, to discover whether children are suffering from malnutrition, and that in areas where industrial depression is acute special steps are taken to keep a close watch on the health of the children, and to provide supplementary nourishment in cases of need.
§ Mr. McSHANEWould it not be useful to us here in the House to know whether the children of men who have been out of work for a considerable number of years are or are not suffering from the fact that the parents have been living more or less on the borderline of poverty all these years?
Viscountess ASTORIs it not true that been 30 and 40 per cent. of the children in our elementary schools are physically defective, while only 7 per cent. of the children from nursery schools are physically defective; and would it not be a good idea to build more nursery schools at once?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANAs to the suggestion of my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall (Mr. McShane), I very much doubt whether it would be practicable.
§ Mr. McSHANEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that such a sample was established in Glasgow some years ago, before the War, and that the results then were highly valuable socially?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANIf my hon. Friend will give me particulars, I will consider the matter.