HC Deb 24 March 1927 vol 204 cc582-5W
Mr. MARDY JONES

asked the President of the Board of Education what was the total cost incurred, under the Feeding of School Children Acts, for the feeding of school children for the period 1st May to 31s.t December, 1926, in the area of each education authority in each coalfield in Great Britain; what was the total number of school children so fed; and the total average cost per meal provided by each education authority?

Duchess of ATHOLL

The particulars given hereafter relate to the local educa-

PROVISION OF MEALS.
Particulars of provision and cost during the period 1st May to 31st December, 1026, in Mining Areas
Local Education Authority. Highest number of children fed in any one week. Total number of meals provided. Estimated total cost.(4) Total estimated average cost per meal.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
£ d.
Cumberland … 1,352 403,321 4,244 2.5
Whitehaven … — — — —
Workington … 383 148,112 1,499 2.4
Derbyshire … 466 20,487 184 2.2
Chesterfield … 20 865 17 4.7
Ilkeston … 1,327 114,884 1,621 3.4
Durham … 64,746 19,387,504 283,781 3.5
Hartlepool … 189 23,240 484* 5.0*
Felling … 2,457 731,657 9,954 3.3
Hebburn … 1,476 212,872 3,104 3.5
Gateshead … 1,330 270,072 4,745 4.2
South Shields … 2,396 292,761 6,102 50
Sunderland … 4,430 1,103,618 15,649 3.4
West Hartlepool … 434 63,933 666 2.5
Gloucestershire … 3,964 484,163 4,594‡ 2.3‡
Kent … 2,349† 247,642* 3,611* 3.5*
Lancashire …20,540 2,180,646 24,436 2.7
Ashton-under-Lyne … 98 33,265 499* 3.6*
Colne … 63 8,205 205* 6.0*
Darwen … 24 593 4* 1.5*
Leigh … 1,538 218,581 8,196 3.5
Middleton … 276 30,412 304* 2.4*
Widnes … 7 655 10 3.5
Farnworth … 785 120,462 [...],741 3.5
Hindley … 192 13,285 171 3.1
Ince … 199 25,456 206 1.9
Radcliffe … 90 17 960 449* 6.0*
Swinton and Pendlebury … 815 139,508 l,899 3.3
Burnley … 1,304 456,885 3,686 4.5
Oldham … 158 28,632 489* 4.1*
St. Helens … 6,742 1,965,890 26,467 3.2
Wigan … 8,667 662,838 8,286 3.0
Leicestershire … 1,556 98,612 712 1.7║
Northumberland … 1,516 243,499 2,029 2.0
Blyth … 2,109 217,430 4,953 5.5
Wallsend … — — — —
Newcastle-on-Tyne … 2,776 418,300 3,528 2.0
Nottinghamshire … 3,609 437,509 5,469 3.0
Shropshire … 893 44,109 665 3.6
Somerset … 17 1,180 18 3.5
Staffordshire … 1,664 232,563 2,298 2.3
Cannock … 4,301§ 459,344§ 600§ —
Rowley Regis … 294 9,989 146 3.5
Tipton … 31 3.915 35 2.2
Stoke-on-Trent … 5,724 139,166 2,144 3.7
Walsall … — — — —
West Bromwich … 13 129 2 4.0

tion authorities of areas in which mining is a predominant industry. The weekly returns made to my Department do not enable me to state the total number of individual children fed, but the figures given in column (2) indicate the highest number of children fed in any one week during the period in question. The figures of cost in columns (4) and (5) are estimates only.

Local Education Authority. Highest number of children fed in any one week. Total number of meals provided. Estimated total cost. Total estimated average cost per meal.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
£ d.
Warwickshire … 3,212 125,452 1,387 2.7
Worcestershire … 81 1,921 13 1.5
Dudley … 107 1,643 14‡ 2.1‡
Yorkshire (North Riding) … — — — —
Yorkshire (West Riding) … 5,720 641,814 6,259 2.8
Batley … 128 9,827 175 4.3
Morley … — — — —
Pontefract … 548 52,981 6102.8
Barnsley … 5,154 1,108,011 10,977 2.4
Dewsbury … 80 9,674 189 4.8
Rotherbam … — — — —
Sheffield … 6,228 1,612,229 20,468 3.0
Wales.
Brecon … 1,463 401,463 4,302 2.6
Carmarthen … 4,279 1,201,177 10,194 2.0
Denbigh … 6,541 768,243 7,501 2.3
Wrexham … 199 15,642 271 4.2
Flintshire … 49 1,636 24 3.5
Glamorgan … 19,452 6,468,043 72 526 2.7
Aberdare … 6,337 1,890,207 17,247 2.2
Mountain Ash … 3.707 1,531,558 13,045‡ 2.0‡
Pontypridd … 3,380 1,316,405 9,988‡ 1.8‡
Port Talbot … 915 175,765 2,563 3.5
Rhondda … 18,050 5,986,006 57,715‡ 2.3‡
Merthyr Tydfil … 6,724 1,824,838 22,807 3.0
Monmouthshire … 7,770 647,097 7,750 2.9
Abertillery … 1,722 548,870 9,231 4.0
Ebbw Vale … 440 7,817 96 2.9
Total … 251,305 57,603,124 714,604 3.0
* Expenditure based on average total cost per meal for previous year.
† Majority of meals provided for payment.
‡ Cost for food only.
§ In Cannock the feeding arrangements were in the hands of Voluntary Committees to which the Local Authority contributed a sum of £600. None of these figures have been included in the totals.
║ In Leicestershire the figures quoted represent the cost to the Local Education Authority.