§ Mr. Rhys Daviesasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the system now universally in operation in Sweden and Norway whereby all schoolchildren, provided they arrive half-an-hour before instruction commences, are given breakfast free of charge; and will he consider introducing a similar system in this country?
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Mr. LindsayAccording to the information in the possession of the Board, a system of free breakfasts for schoolchildren is not in universal operation in Norway or Sweden. My Noble Friend is aware of the valuable results obtained from the Oslo breakfast and is considering the practicability of encouraging its adoption in this country in suitable circumstances but he is at present awaiting the results of an experiment recently conducted in London. The giving of the meal free of charge to all children would not, however, be possible under existing legislation.