HC Deb 25 March 1952 vol 498 cc181-2
13. Mr. William Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the new proposals on the school means service will be available to hon. Members.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

Officials of the Department are visiting the offices of selected education authorities and examining their staffing arrangements and the extent to which kitchen facilities are surplus to requirements. When these investigations are further advanced, the circular will be issued.

Mr. Hamilton

Can the Minister give a guarantee that the proposals will be given to the House before they are given to the Press; and, secondly, can we be assured that they will be given to the Press before the local elections?

Mr. Stewart

As the hon. Member knows, on the last occasion we circulated the circulars to hon. Members as soon as they were available. I propose, if the House agrees, to do the same again.

15. Mr. Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many schoolchildren were receiving school dinners in Fife, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen on 1st February, 1951, and 1st February, 1952, respectively.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

As the information can best be given by a statistical table, I will, with the hon. Member's permission circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Hamilton

I take it that the figures for February, 1952, are, in fact available. Could the Minister, then, say whether in fact this is a decrease for the area in question?

Mr. Stewart

As the hon. Gentleman will see when he looks at the table, the figures show a decrease in four areas and an increase in three. If he were to add up the figures in the two columns, he would find that they come very nearly to the same thing.

Miss Margaret Herbison

Will the hon. Gentleman then assure us that those who are going round making inquiries about surplus accommodation will also try to find out why there is surplus accommodation, and would it not be better to have more children taking meals than to get rid of that accommodation?

Mr. Stewart

We will bear that in mind.

Following are the figures:

February, 1951 February, 1952
Fife 16,330 15,247
Lanarkshire 33,458 32,995
Ayrshire 19,520 19,804
Glasgow 55,534 57,469
Edinburgh 18,206 17,319
Dundee 8,430 8,675
Aberdeen 6,157 5,822