§ Mr. G. A. Morrison (by Private Notice)asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he proposes to take any steps to develop the school meals service in Scotland with a view to better nutrition of school children?
Mr. JohnstonYes, Sir. I hope to secure an immediate and substantial development of this service by arranging for advantage to be taken of facilities provided by the Minister of Food, and, where these are not available, by encouraging education authorities to make their own provision. For these purposes the financial aid available to education authorities is being increased. Parents who are able to pay will be expected to pay. Scots law presently permits food to be provided for necessitous children only when the individual child is unable, by reason of lack of food, to take full advantage of the education provided. But malnutrition should be prevented, and a short Bill, designed to give education authorities power to supply food free of charge to necessitous cases without waiting for evidence of malnutrition, will be introduced in the near future.