§ Mr. Rhys Daviesasked the Home Secretary the present position in relation to the employment of schoolchildren, in particular, in agriculture; the approximate number employed; and the conditions of their employment?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonThere are no statistics available as to the number of children employed in agriculture. The legal conditions are contained partly in the provisions of Section 18 of the Children and Young Persons Act, 1933, and partly in by-laws made by local education authorities under that Section. Amongst the conditions set out in the Section is a condition about the lifting of heavy weights and a limitation on the hours of employment on school days. Amongst the conditions which can be dealt with by local by-laws is a requirement that persons employing children out of doors should see that they are provided with suitable boots and clothing sufficient to protect them from inclement weather. It is very desirable that local education authorities should give special attention both to the making and to the enforcement of by-laws on this subject. If the best use is to be made of the assistance of children to meet the acute need of agriculture, care must be taken to see that children are not employed for excessive hours or on excessively heavy tasks or under conditions which are injurious to health.