HC Deb 13 July 1972 vol 840 cc1823-4
8. Mr. Moyle

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will consult the trade unions having membership in the school meals service with a view to ensuring that a person experienced in working in the service is appointed to the body looking into its future development.

Mrs. Thatcher

Members of the review committee have not been appointed in a representative capacity. The committee itself will decide how to take the views of those with experience of working in the service.

Mr. Moyle

All sorts of people will have a responsibility for writing the report of the committee but no one who has an intimate knowledge of the manual staff working in the school meals service will be on the committee to help write the report. In this day and age, is this good enough? Will the right hon. Lady think about it again?

Mrs. Thatcher

No. The committee was set up clearly to have on it representatives of local education authorities, which are statutorily responsible for the school meals service, and of teachers, since everything in the school affects the teacher. The committee is chaired by an official of my Department. It is expected that it will work through a large number of sub-committees which will deal in detail with the catering and nutritional aspects among other things.