§ THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH asked His Majesty's Government whether they are in a position to guarantee the fees within specified limits of children placed by their parents, since killed by enemy action, in specified types of schools. The right reverend Prelate said: My Lords, the second question I have to ask is one of an educational character. A case has arisen recently in one of our coast towns where the parents of two children, who were being educated at a secondary school now evacuated to the Midlands, were killed in an air raid. Both these children show considerable promise, and it is felt that nothing should be put in the way of their education being continued. It is learned that the deceased parents fully intended that these children should, on leaving the secondary school, proceed to college and, but for the parents' untimely decease through enemy action, there is no reason to doubt that the financial circumstances would have made this possible. As it is, the children are now under the guardianship of an uncle who, while he has every wish to do everything in his power for the benefit of the children, does not feel justified in undertaking, unaided, the additional expenditure involved.
§ So far as the actual school fees of the children are concerned it is to be anticipated that the education authority will give all possible facilities, but the question remains of the maintenance of the children and their clothing while they are away at school. A child who is otherwise qualified to receive an allowance ceases to be a dependent child when he or she attains the age of fifteen years. One child of the two of whom I am speaking has already ceased to be a dependent child and the other child will cease to be a dependent 69 child very shortly. Unless, therefore, some special provision can be made in cases of this kind the children who would profit from further education, and I hope become in the end really useful citizens, may be deprived of the opportunities which they would have had but for the fact that their parents have been killed through enemy action. This example may be typical of many more, and some amendment of the civilian personal injury scheme to meet such cases would seem reasonable.
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The Minister of Pensions is; reported to have said on the 16th of July:
Children whose parents have been killed by enemy action will become children of the State. They will receive education of the same standard which their own parents would have given them and in addition a pension.
This, my Lords, is the question which I have to raise.
§ LORD SNELLMy Lords, subject to certain conditions and within a specified limit provision exists for the grant of education allowances for the children of deceased officers and men of the Naval, Military and Air Forces respectively whose deaths are attributable to service, and similar provision is made for the children of officers and men of the Mercantile Marine whose deaths are attributable to war injuries. The personal injuries civilians scheme in many respects replaces peace-time compensation arrangements, but does not incorporate any provision for the grant of education allowances.