§ 62. Mr. Kennedyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he has considered the recent representations of bodies concerned with education and child welfare urging the provision of a daily ration of free milk, a mid-day meal to all children attending public elementary and State-aided schools, and meals for necessitous children; and does he propose to accede to them?
Mr. LindsayIn my replies to the questions asked by the hon. Member for 2452 Llanelly (Mr. J. Griffiths) and the hon. Member for Ince (Mr. G. Macdonald) on 30th March, I explained fully the attitude of the Board to these proposals.
63. Mrs. Adamsonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education the number of local education authorities in the county of Kent that have been advised by his Department to improve their provisions for the feeding of school children; and in how many cases has the response been satisfactory?
Mr. LindsayLetters have been addressed by the Board to 10 of the 18 local aducation authorities in Kent urging them to make provision for the feeding of school children or to improve their existing arrangements. As nearly all the letters were sent comparatively recently it is not yet possible to say whether the reponse will be satisfactory, but the matter is being considered by the authorities in question.
64. Mrs. Adamsonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education the number of schoolchildren in the county of Kent who receive milk at school; what percentage of these are in receipt of free milk upon grounds of poverty or malnutrition; and the total weekly charge to the authorities?
Mr. LindsayOn 1st October, 1938, 80,987 children attending public elementary schools in Kent received milk at school. Of these rather more than 5 per cent. received free milk. The cost of the free milk to the local education authorities is about £65 a week, on which 50 per cent. grant is paid by the Board of Education.