§ Mr. Kirbyasked the Minister of Health, whether he is aware that approximately nine per cent. of the free meals supplied to schoolchildren by the Liverpool Education Committee on a means test basis are supplied to children of families in receipt of widows' and blind persons' pensions; and, having in mind the heavy burden borne by the Liverpool ratepayers in respect of these children and poor persons generally, will he consider increasing such pensions to a point that the children in such families can be properly fed at home, thus obviating recourse to the free-meal system?
§ Mr. ElliotI would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3rd November last to the hon. Member that the Government cannot see their way to introduce legislation for this purpose. I would, however, point out in connection with the question of the expenditure falling upon the Liverpool ratepayers that the block grant was revised by Parliament two 2695W years ago as a result of which the corporation of Liverpool received additional assistance amounting to about £434,000 a year equivalent to a rate of 1s. 5d. in the £. The next revision of the amount of the block grant will be based on local expenditure for the year 1940–1.