§ 18. Mr. Haselhurstasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many catering advisers his Department employs; and at what cost to public funds.
§ Sir Keith JosephTwo, at a total salary cost of £30,904.
§ Mr. HaselhurstWhy does my right hon. Friend need this advice? Cannot the task of deciding what is fit for children to eat in schools safely be left to local education authorities?
§ Sir Keith JosephI need this advice to enable me to persuade more education authorities to copy the example of the substantial minority that are still providing an excellent choice for children who want school meals at much less cost.
§ Mr. FoulkesDoes the Secretary of State agree that his advisers, however inadequate, are proving much more successful than those who advise the Prime Minister?
§ Sir Keith JosephI think that I can safely say that that is rubbish. My Department employed 10 catering advisers, but now, because of the effective economies of many local education authorities, it needs only two.