Mr. Amoryasked the Minister of Education why children of school age who attend mental deficiency occupation centres are ineligible to participate in the school meals service; and whether he will take action to remedy this anomaly and enable such children to share in the benefits of the school meals service in the same way as children attending normal schools.
§ Mr. BevanI have been asked to reply. Mental defectives are excluded from the educational system by the Education Act. 1944. They are the responsibility of local health authorities. The latter were authorised in June, 1948, to supply meals on payment to mentally deficient children attending occupation centres and in cases of hardship to remit the charge either wholly or partly.