§ 13. Mr. Sparksasked the Minister of Education by how much the physical and nutritional standards of children of school age have improved by comparison with 1938.
§ Mr. TomlinsonBetween 1938 and 1948 the average height of children in England and Wales increased by between ¼ and ½ an inch, and the average weight by about 2 lb. In 1938 the nutrition of 14.5 per cent. of children inspected was classified as "excellent" and 74.2 per cent. was classified as "normal," the remainder being "slightly sub-normal" or "bad." In 1948, under a different classification, the nutrition of 35.8 per cent. was classified as "good" and of 59.6 per cent. as "fair," the remainder being "poor."
§ 14. Mr. A. Lewisasked the Minister of Education the number of children registered as suffering from the effects of malnutrition for the nation as a whole, and for the county borough of West Ham four years after the end of the First World War, as compared with four years after the end of the Second World War.
§ Mr. TomlinsonI have no separate figures for West Ham earlier than 1937. Under the broad assessments of nutrition made at routine medical inspections, the nutrition of the children was classified in 1937 and 1948 as follows: