§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of the answer given to him on 24th March, the Government will consider supplying water for all national school children to rinse their mouths after partaking of the school meal.]
LORD ST. OSWALDMy Lords, I assume that the noble Lord is thinking of the practice by which Children who have eaten a meal are encouraged to rinse their mouths with a mouthful of water, using the cheeks and lips to force it to and fro between the teeth. This is a valuable method of ridding the teeth of clinging food particles, and has the advantage that it may be carried out while the children are still at table.
994 The provision of drinking water and beakers on the tables when the school meal is laid is encouraged as part of the school meals service by my right honourable friends the Minister of Education and the Secretary of State for Scotland, so that it would not be difficult for the children to carry out the exercise when its purpose has been explained to them. The practice is found in certain areas and its extension is recommended in the forthcoming report of the Chief Medical Officer on The Health of the School Child.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, I thank my noble friend for his comprehensive Answer, and I only hope that, as he suggested, what I aim at will be carried out.