HC Deb 26 April 1956 vol 551 cc162-3W
Mr. Marshall

asked the Minister of Education what advice he has given to the local education authorities for those areas in which the National Association of Schoolmasters has instructed its members not to collect school dinner money.

1956. Mr. Vosper

The following letter was sent to each of the local education authorities concerned on 24th March.

th March,

  1. 1. [Name of L.E.A.]
  2. 2. School Meals Service
  3. 3. Collection of Dinner Money

SIR,

The Minister understands that the National Association of Schoolmasters has asked its members in seven county boroughs, including [name of L.E.A.] to stop collecting school dinner money from pupils as from the first day of next term.

The Authority will, no doubt, consider the possibility of making other arrangements for the time being, if and when members of the Association should stop collecting dinner money. The Authority should, however, be aware that any extra expenditure incurred on making alternative arrangements for the collection of dinner money will not be taken into account in fixing a unit cost per meal for overhead expenditure for the authority's area. The Minister accepts that if satisfactory alternative arrangements cannot be made on this basis, it will be necessary temporarily to suspend facilities for school dinners on payment for pupils of the schools or classes affected by the National Association of Schoolmasters' decision.

The Minister would naturally regret it if, as a direct consequence of the Association's decision, some children should have to do without dinner at school. It is in his view, however, quite wrong that arrangements for the collection of school dinner money which have been accepted, although with some reluctance, for many years should be brought to an abrupt end, by unilateral action, and for a reason which has nothing whatever to do with the School Meals Service. As the Authority will be aware, the Teachers' Superannuation Bill, which has been the occasion of the Association's decision, has now been given its Third Reading by the House of Commons.

I am. Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

R. HOWLETT.

To the

Local Education Authority.

(Bootle, Leicester C.B., Sheffield, Sunderland, Cardiff, Newport (Mon.), Swansea).