§ Mr. Boothbyasked the President of the Board of Education, (1) what percentage of children in England and Wales are now receiving meals in schools; whether the provision of meals in schools is still an object of the policy of his Department; 605W and whether he is taking any steps to secure the necessary facilities and accommodation;
(2) whether he proposes to take any steps to increase the provision of meals for schoolchildren; and whether he has taken up this matter with the local authorities?
§ Mr. ButlerA campaign for stimulating the provision of meals for schoolchildren was initiated in the summer of 1940 and my Department has been very active in impressing upon authorities the importance of this service both by correspondence and through His Majesty's Inspectors. The approval of proposals has been much expedited by authorising inspectors to deal with them locally within certain financial limits. As a result of these measures the service has been doubled during the past year and approximately 300,000 children or 6 per cent. of the pupils in elementary and secondary schools in England and Wales were receiving meals at school or school canteens before the summer holidays. While the building of new accommodation cannot generally be contemplated, steps have already been taken to facilitate the supply of cooking and dining equipment. My policy is to secure a further rapid expansion of this service and fresh measures to this end are under active consideration.