§ Sir W. Jenkinsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what number of children in infants', junior, and senior schools, ages 5 to 14 years, are suffering from defective eyesight, and what number suffering from deafness in England and Wales, giving separate figures for Wales in percentages of the total number in each category, for the years 1924, 1930, 1936, and to the latest available date; what is the percentage of children being provided by the education authorities with free spectacles; and will he give the percentage for distressed areas, separately?
Mr. LindsayNo information is available as to the total number of children in attendance at public elementary schools who have defects of vision or hearing; the figures in the Board's possession relate only to children who have been submitted to routine medical inspection or special inspection during the course of the year. I am sending the hon. Member tables showing for England and Wales, for Wales separately, and for the Special Areas the number of children found to have defects of vision or hearing during the years 1924, 1930, 1936 and 1937, and the number of spectacles obtained under local education authorities' schemes during those years. No information is available to show in how many cases the spectacles were provided free of charge.