HC Deb 29 November 1971 vol 827 cc184-5

Not amended (in the Standing Committee), considered.

Motion made, and Question, That the Bill be now read the Third time, put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 56 (Third Reading), and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.

10.23 p.m.

Miss Joan Lestor (Eton and Slough)

I beg to move, That the Provision of Milk and Meals (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 1971 (S.I. 1971, No. 1368), a copy of which was laid before this House on 25th August, in the last Session of Parliament, be withdrawn. In opposing these regulations, I remind the House—and hon. Members opposite in particular—that when the increase in the price of school meals was announced, together with the withdrawal of free milk in primary schools for children over the age of 7, we argued continuously that this would result in a deficiency in the diet of our children as there would be a drop in the take-up of school meals because many parents would not be able to afford the new price. Time and again this was denied by hon. Members opposite. In particular, we were told that new facilities would be made available, as outlined in these regulations, in order to make it easier for people who were called "poor" by hon. Members opposite to take advantage of free school meals.

We know now that our forecast was right. According to the latest figures, in November, 1970, the percentage of all school children taking school meals was 67.5, while a year later it had dropped to 59.4. What is alarming about that drop is that we were told that the take-up would increase in the autumn, but this has not taken place to anything like the extent forecast by hon. Members opposite. But within that drop in the number of school meals taken overall, there has been a dramatic rise in the take-up of free school meals—from 575,000 in 1970 to 733,000 in 1971.

This is not something on which the Government should be congratulated, since the tragedy behind the fact that more and more children are taking free school meals is that unemployment has meant, with the lowering of their parent's income, that more and more are now qualifying for them. The Under-Secretary of State went to great lengths to point out, when the legislation was going through the House, that he would like to see all sorts of measures taken in order to avoid humiliation to children who would be making application and be taking advantage of free school meals. To my