§ Mr. CHARLES BATHURSTasked the President of the Board of Education what proportion of the children in the public elementary schools in England and Wales are suffering from malnutrition and maladies traceable to malnutrition; and whether, in the opinion of his expert advisers, this condition is due to insufficient food, ignorance of the nutritive value of foods, or bad housing and sanitation?
Mr. PEASESome indication of the proportion of children in various districts suffering from malnutrition and maladies traceable to it is given in the Official Reports of the Board's medical officer for the years 1910 and 1911. For the reasons referred to in the answer already given to the hon. Member on this subject, no exact Return is possible. Where malnutrition occurs the condition is no doubt due to one or more of various factors, including those mentioned in the last part of the question.