§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what resources he intends to make available to local authorities to enable them to implement the Employment of Children Act 1973.
§ Mr. John PattenAs the hon. Member is aware, local authority associations were consultated in 1975 and 1977738W on the implementation of the Employment of Children Act 1973. It was concluded, that, because of the resource implication for local authorities, the introduction of the Act's provisions could not be justified. It is still considered to be inappropriate to impose further responsibilities on local authorities.