§ 43. Mr. Rhys Daviesasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will take all steps within his power to prevent children of school age not attending school owing to the emergency from entering employment?
§ Mr. Buchan-HepburnThe situation to which the hon. Member refers would be remedied if the law of school attendance were operative in the evacuation areas. This is a matter which the Government have under active consideration.
§ Mr. DaviesWill the hon. Gentleman be good enough to call the attention of his hon. Friend to the fact that, in evacuation areas, where boys and girls have not attended school for four or five months, it is quite possible for a number of them to be in employment by this time; and also, is it possible for the Board to issue a circular to local authorities calling attention to this possibility?
§ Mr. Buchan-HepburnI will explain to my hon. Friend what the hon. Gentleman says.
§ Sir H. WilliamsWould my hon. Friend represent to his hon. Friend the importance of opening the schools at the earliest possible moment in order to bring to an end the present scandal of boys running adrift in the streets?
§ Mr. EdeWill the hon. Member draw the attention of his hon. Friend to the fact that it is not only in evacuation areas where the problem is acute, and that in some of the neutral areas affairs are almost as bad?
§ Major-General Sir Alfred KnoxWhat about the position in the reception areas?