§ Mr. BuchanI beg to move Amendment No. 48, in page 2, line 31, at end insert :
or
(c) is a pupil receiving primary school education who lives more than three miles from the school'.This is a last attempt to get a little compassion out of the Conservative 661 Party. It concerns primary school children who live more than three miles from school. They are mainly in the rural areas where there has been difficulty about supplying milk. The fact that the children are stuck at school all day—almost every child would be in that difficulty—is all the more reason for accepting the Amendment, and I am confident that at this late hour the Government will accept it.
Mr. Edward TaylorMuch as I should like to accommodate the hon. Gentleman, I have to resist the Amendment. If he studies it carefully, he will himself be less keen on adopting it. It would do two things. First, those who travel to school by bus four, five, or six miles, or more, would get free milk, but not those who had to walk two miles to school. Secondly, the hon. Gentleman has said that the main problem of malnutrition or potential malnutrition is in the cities, but if the Amendment were accepted, those within the cities who would get free milk would be not the children attending the local primary school, but largely those attending the selective, fee-paying schools.
In Edinburgh, for example, children attending the Royal High School would benefit, but those at Pilton or Clermiston would not. In view of that result, the hon. Member may wish to consider withdrawing the Amendment.
§ A mendment negatived.
§ Mr. BuchanI beg to move Amendment No. 61, in page 3, line 13, at end insert :
(7) The restriction imposed by this section on the duty of local education authorities to provide milk at educational establishments under their management shall not apply to any such authority in whose area the percentage of married women working and with children under twelve exceeds 10 per cent. of the total number registered as employed within the relevant employment exchange areas ; but section 3 of the Public Expenditure and Receipts Act 1968 (in so far as it applies to Scotland) shall continue to apply.Although I was not encouraged by the response to my being brief on the last Amendment, I shall be brief on this, too.It deals again with social conditions, with the kind of problems which have been discussed all afternoon and evening. It concerns those areas where a high proportion of married women go out to work and have children under 12, that 662 is, at primary school, and where, therefore, the nutritional aspects of the matter become all the more important.
I understand the problem of selectivity, which, to do him honour, the Under-Secretary has argued throughout, but if the Bill had not been introduced, he need not have made that argument. At least the Amendment would help those areas, and I hope that he will accept it.
Mr. Edward TaylorOnce again I must apologise to the hon. Gentleman for not being able to accept his Amendment. First of all he is saying that in an authority with more than 10 per cent. of "working mums" there should be free milk. This would mean that the concession would be given to everyone and not just to the 10 per cent. Apart from that, the Amendment refers only to married women. It is doubtful whether, under the Amendment, widows would qualify and certainly unmarried mothers would not.
The third point is that there is no evidence to show beyond any doubt that children from working homes are less well nourished or have fewer resources. I am not aware of any such information and rather than cast any slur on the working mums of Britain it would be preferable to withdraw the Amendment.
§ A mendment negatived.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeI beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
I think it would be for the convenience of the House if I moved the Motion formally.
§ 11.43 p.m.
§ Mr. Edward ShortBefore I speak about the Bill, I would like to register a protest about the silence of the Secretary of State. She chose not to serve on the Committee. We are glad that she has sat through the whole of Report Stage. She brightens our rather sombre surroundings, but we need something more than a decorative Secretary of State. It is her Bill and we protest that she sat there in silence while these very important issues were discussed.
The Bill has run its course in the House and now comes to an end. It is a shameful, hateful, Bill at the end as it was at the beginning, and one which will 663 forever blacken the already black record of this Government. It takes milk from our youngest children to give large tax reliefs to well-off people. Throughout Committee and Report stages the Government have stubbornly refused to accept Amendments to retain milk for children from needy homes. They have stubbornly refused to accept Amendments which would allow L.E.A.s to pay for it from the rates. They have refused to accept Amendments enabling G.P.s to to certify medical need, and all other Amendments tabled by us have been denied.
The result is a thoroughly squalid Bill which will create a new, invidious category of children in our schools in the development areas, and the old industrial areas in the North—the category which does not have milk because it cannot -afford it. If that does not identify the
§ category I do not know what does. I would hazard a guess that this Bill will do the Conservative Party more electoral harm than any other thing it has done—and I do not complain about that.
§ What I do complain about is that a Government which has deliberately created unemployment, encouraged price rises—and we have been talking about them tonight—which has depressed living standards in their first year of office, now takes free milk from our youngest children. It is a thoroughly disreputable Bill from a thoroughly disreputable Government and I advise my hon. and right hon. Friends to vote against it.
§ Question put, That the Bill be now read the Third time :—
§ The House divided : Ayes 211, Noes 188.
665| Division No. 430.] | AYES | [11.44 p.m. |
| Alison, Michael (Barkston Ash) | Elliot, Capt. Walter (Carshalton) | James, David |
| Allason, James (Hemel Hempstead) | Elliott, R. W. (N'c'tle-upon-Tyne, N.) | Jenkin, Patrick (Woodford) |
| Archer, Jeffrey (Louth) | Emery, Peter | Jennings, J. C. (Burton) |
| Astor, John | Eyre, Reginald | Jessel, Toby |
| Atkins, Humphrey | Fell, Anthony | Joseph, Rt. Hn. Sir Keith |
| Awdry, Daniel | Fenner, Mrs. Peggy | Kershaw, Anthony |
| Baker, Kenneth (St. Marylebone) | Fidler, Michael | Kilfedder, James |
| Balniel, Lord | Finsberg, Geoffrey (Hampstead) | King, Evelyn (Dorset, S.) |
| Batsford, Brian | Fisher, Nigel (Surbiton) | King, Tom (Bridgwater) |
| Bennett, Sir Frederic (Torquay) | Fortescue, Tim | Kinsey, J. R. |
| Benyon, W. | Foster, Sir John | Kirk, Peter |
| Berry, Hn. Anthony | Fowler, Norman | Kitson, Timothy |
| Biffen, John | Fox, Marcus | Knox, David |
| Biggs-Davison, John | Fraser, Rt. Hn. Hugh (St'fford & Stone) | Lane, David |
| Blaker, Peter | Gardner, Edward | Legge-Bourke, Sir Harry |
| Boardman, Tom (Leicester, S. W.) | Gilmour, Sir John (Fife, E.) | Le Marchant, Spencer |
| Boscawen, Robert | Godber, Rt. Hn. J. B. | Lewis, Kenneth (Rutland) |
| Bossom, Sir Clive | Goodhart, Philip | Longden, Gilbert |
| Bowden, Andrew | Gorst, John | Luce, R. N. |
| Boyd-Carpenter, Rt. Hn. John | Gower, Raymond | MacArthur, Ian |
| Bray, Ronald | Grant, Anthony (Harrow, C.) | McCrindle, R. A. |
| Brinton, Sir Tatton | Green, Alan | McLaren, Martin |
| Brocklebank-Fowler, Christopher | Grieve, Percy | Maclean, Sir Fitzroy |
| Brown, Sir Edward (Bath) | Griffiths, Eldon (Bury St. Edmunds) | McNair-Wilson, Michael |
| Burden, F. A. | Grylls, Michael | McNair-Wilson, Patrick (NewForest) |
| Butler, Adam (Bosworth) | Gummer, Selwyn | Madel, David |
| Carlisle, Mark | Gurden, Harold | Mather, Carol |
| Chataway, Rt. Hn. Christopher | Hall, Miss Joan (Keighley) | Maude, Angus |
| Churchill, W. S. | Hall, John (Wycombe) | Maxwell-Hyslop, R. J. |
| Clarke, Kenneth (Rushcliffe) | Hall-Davis, A. G. F. | Meyer, Sir Anthony |
| Clegg, Walter | Hannam, John (Exeter) | Miscampbell, Norman |
| Cockeram, Eric | Harrison, Col. Si Harwood (Eye) | Mitchell, Lt.-Col. C.(Aberdeenshire, W) |
| Cooke, Robert | Haselhurst, Alan | Mitchell, David (Basingstoke) |
| Cooner, A. E. | Hastings, Stephen | Moate, Roger |
| Corfield, Rt. Hn. Frederick | Havers, Michael | Molyneaux, James |
| Cormack, Patrick | Hawkins, Paul | Money, Ernie |
| Critchley, Julian | Hayhoe, Barney | Monks, Mrs. Connie |
| Curran, Charles | Hicks, Robert | Montgomery, Fergus |
| Davies, Rt. Hn. John (Knutsford) | Hill, John E. B. (Norfolk, S.) | More, Jasper |
| d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, Sir Henry | Hill, James (Southampton, Test) | Morgan-Giles, Rear-Adm. |
| d'Avigdor-Goldsmidi, Maj.-Gen. James | Holland. Philip | Mudd, David |
| Dean, Paul | Holt, Miss Mary | Murton, Oscar |
| Deedes, Rt. Hn. W. F. | Hornsby-Smith. Rt. Hn. Dame Patricia | Nabarro, Sir Gerald |
| Dixon, Piers | Howe, Hn. Sir Geoffrey (Reigate) | Neave, Airey |
| Dodds-Parker, Douglas | Howell, David (Guildford) | Nicholls, Sir Harmar |
| Dykes, Hugh | Howell, Ralph (Norfolk, N.) | Normanton, Tom |
| Eden, Sir John | Hunt, John | Nott, John |
| Edwards, Nicholas (Pembroke) | Hutchison, Michael Clark | Onslow, Cranley |
| Osborn, John | Shetton, William (Clapham) | Tugendhat, Christopher |
| Owen, Idris (Stockport, N.) | Simeons, Charles | Turton, Rt. Hn. Sir Robin |
| Page, Graham (Crosby) | Skeet, T. H. H. | van Straubenzee, W. R. |
| Peel, John | Smith, Dudley (W'wick & L'mington) | Vaughan, Dr. Gerard |
| Percival, lan | Soref, Harold | Vickers, Dame Joan |
| Peyton, Rt. Hn. John | Speed, Keith | Waddington, David |
| Price, David (Eastleigh) | Spence, John | Walder, David (Clitheroe) |
| Proudfoot, Wilfred | Sproat, lain | Walker, Rt. Hn. Peter (Worcester) |
| Pym, Rt. Hn. Francis | Stainton, Keith | Wall, Patrick |
| Raison, Timothy | Stanbrook, Ivor | Ward, Dame Irene |
| Redmond, Robert | Stewart-Smith, D. G. (Belper) | Warren, Kenneth |
| Herd, Laurance (Bolton, E.) | Stoddart-Scott, Col. Sir M. | Weatherill, Bernard |
| Rees-Davies, W. R. | Stokes, John | Wells, John (Maidstone) |
| Rhys Williams, Sir Brandon | Stuttaford, Dr. Tom | White, Roger (Gravesend) |
| Ridley, Hn. Nicholas | Sutcliffe, John | Wiggin, Jerry |
| Ridsdale, Julian | Taylor, Edward M.(G'gow, Cathcart) | Wilkinson, John |
| Roberts, Michael (Cardiff, N.) | Taylor, Frank (Moss Side) | Wood, Rt. Hn. Richard |
| Roberts, Wyn (Conway) | Tebbit, Norman | Woodnutt, Mark |
| Rossi, Hugh (Hornsey) | Temple, John M. | Worsley, Marcus |
| Russell, Sir Ronald | Thatcher, Rt. Hn. Mrs. Margaret | |
| St. John-Stevas, Norman | Thomas, John Stradling (Monmouth) | TELLERS FOR THE AYES : |
| Scott-Hopkins, James | Thomas, Rt. Hn. Peter (Hendon, S.) | Mr. Hector Monro and |
| Sharples, Richard | Thompson, Sir Richard (Croydon, S.) | Mr. Victor Goodhew. |
| Shaw, Michael (Sc'b'gh & Whitby) | Trafford, Dr Anthony | |
| NOES | ||
| Abse, Leo | Foot, Michael | Mallalieu, J. P. W. (Huddersfield, E) |
| Allaum, Frank (Salford, E.) | Ford, Ben | Marks, Kenneth |
| Archer, Peter (Rowley Regis) | Forrester, John | Marquand, David |
| Armstrong, Ernest | Fraser, John (Norwood) | Marsden, F. |
| Ashton, Joe | Galpern, Sir Myer | Marshall, Dr. Edmund |
| Atkinson, Norman | Gilbert, Dr. John | Mayhew, Christopher |
| Bagier, Gordon A. T. | Ginsburg, David | Meacher, Michael |
| Benn, Rt. Hn. Anthony Wedgwood | Golding, John | Mellish, Rt. Hn. Robert |
| Bennett, James (Glasgow, Bridgeton) | Grant, George (Morpeth) | Mendelson, John |
| Bishop, E. S. | Grant, John D. (Islington, E.) | Miilan, Bruce |
| Blenkinsop, Arthur | Griffiths, Eddie (Brightside) | Miller, Dr. M. S. |
| Boardman, H. (Leigh) | Griffiths, Will (Exchange) | Milne, Edward (Blyth) |
| Booth, Albert | Hardy, Peter | Mitchell, R. C. (S'hampton, Itchen) |
| Boyden, James (Bishop Auckland) | Harper, Joseph | Morgan, Elystan (Cardiganshire) |
| Brown, Bob (N'c'tle-upon-Tyne, W.) | Hart, Rt. Hn. Judith | Morris, Alfred (Wythenshawe) |
| Buchan, Norman | Hattersley, Roy | Morris, Charles R. (Opemshaw) |
| Campbell, I. (Dunbartonshire, W.) | Horam, John | Morris, Rt. Hn. John (Aberavon) |
| Cant, R. B. | Huckfield, Leslie | Moylle, Roland |
| Carmichael, Neil | Hughes, Mark (Durham) | Mulley, Rt. Hn. Frederick |
| Carter, Ray (Binmingh'm, Northfield) | Hughes, Robert (Aberdeen, N.) | Murray, Ronald King |
| Carter-Jones, Lewis (Eccles) | Hunter, Adam | Ogden, Eric |
| Clark, David (Colne Valley) | Janner, Greville | O'Halloran, Michael |
| Cocks, Michael (Bristol, S.) | Jay, Rt. Hn. Douglas | O'Malley, Brian |
| Cohen, Stanley | Jenkins, Hugh (Putney) | Oram, Bert |
| Coleman, Donald | Jenkins, Rt. Hn. Roy (Stechford) | Orme, Stanley |
| Concannon, J. D. | John, Brynmor | Oswald, Thomas |
| Conlan, Bernard | Johnson, Carol (Lewisham, S.) | Paget, R. T. |
| Cox, Thomas (Wandsworth, C.) | Johnson, James (K'ston-on-Hull, W.) | Palmer, Arthur |
| Crawshaw, Richard | Johnson, Walter (Derby, S.) | Pendry, Tom |
| Cunningham, C. (Islington, S. W.) | Jones, Barry (Flint, E.) | Pentland, Norman |
| Dalyell, Tam | Jones, Gwynoro (Carmarthen) | Prescott, John |
| Davidson, Arthur | Kaufman, Gerald | Price, J. T. (Westhoughton) |
| Davies, G. Elfed (Rhondda, E.) | Kerr, Russell | Price, William (Rugby) |
| Davies, Ifor (Gower) | Kinnock, Neil | Rees, Merlyn (Leeds, S.) |
| Davis, Clinton (Hackney, C.) | Lamond, James | Roberts, Albert (Normanton) |
| Davis, Terry (Bromsgrove) | Latham, Arthur | Roberts, Rt. Hn. Goronwy (Caernarvon) |
| Deakins, Eric | Lawson, George | Roderick, Caerwyn E.(Br'c'n&R'dnor) |
| de Freitas, Rt. Hn. Sir Geoffrey | Leadbitter, Ted | Rodgers, William (Stockton-on-Tees) |
| Dell, Rt. Hn. Edmund | Le Marchant, Spencer | Roper, John |
| Dempsey, James | Leonard, Dick | Ross, Rt. Hn. William (Kilmarnock) |
| Doig, Peter | Lestor, Miss Joan | Shore, Rt. Hn. Peter (Stepney) |
| Dormand, J. D. | Lewis, Arthur (W. Ham, N.) | Short, Rt. Hn. Edward (N'c'tle-u-Tyne) |
| Douglas-Mann, Bruce | Lewis, Ron (Carlisle) | Short, Mrs. Renée (W'hampton, N. E.) |
| Driberg, Tom | Loughlin, Charles | Silkin, Hn. S. C. (Dulwich) |
| Duffy, A. E. P. | Lyon, Alexander W. (York) | Sillars, James |
| Dunn, James A. | Lyons, Edward (Bradford, E.) | Skinner, Dennis |
| Dunnett, Jack | McBride, Neil | Spearing, Nigel |
| Eadie, Alex | McCartney, Hugh | Spriggs, Leslie |
| Edwards, William (Merioneth) | McElhone, Frank | Stallard, A. W. |
| Ellis, Tom | McGuire, Michael | Stewart, Rt. Hn. Michael (Fulham) |
| English, Michael | Mackie, John | Stoddart, David (Swindon) |
| Evans, Fred | Mackintosh, John P. | Strang, Gavin |
| Fernyhough, Rt. Hn. E. | Maclennan, Robert | Sumrmerskill, Hn. Dr. Shirley |
| Fisher, Mrs. Doris (B'ham, Lady wood) | McMillan, Tom (Glasgow, C) | Taverne, Dick |
| Fitch, Alan (Wigan) | McNamara, J. Kevin | Thomas, Rt. Hn. George (Cardiff, W.) |
| Fletcher, Ted (Darlington) | Mahon, Simon (Bootle) | Tinn, James |
| Foley, Maurice | ||
| Torney, Tom | Watkins, David | Wilson, Alexander (Hamilton) |
| Tuck, Raphael | Weitzman, David | Wilson, William (Coventry, S.) |
| Urwin, T. W. | Wellbelovrd, James | Woof, Robert |
| Varley, Eric G. | White, James (Glasgow, Pollok) | |
| Wainwright, Edwin | Whitehead, Phillip | TELLERS FOR THE NOES : |
| Waiden, Brian (B'm'ham, All Saints) | Whitlock, William | Mr. William Hamling and |
| Walker, Harold (Doncaster) | Williams, Alan (Swansea, W.) | Mr. James Hamilton. |
| Wallace, George | Williams, Mrs, Shirley (Hitchin) |
§ Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.