Children's Footwear (Hansard, 12 July 1974)

§ Dr. Owen

The Government have carefully considered the Munro Committee's Report on Children's Footwear.

The report explains that, however desirable, approved standards for the manufacture of children's footwear will not achieve their purpose unless the footwear conforms sufficiently to changing fashion trends to be acceptable to the consumer; is discarded when worn out or outgrown; is available in sufficient sizes and widths; and is sold through retail outlets which maintain good fitting services.

Well designed shoes, and shops with good fitting services, are already available parents who care about foot health and want their children to have shoes which fit properly can buy them. The problem, as the report pointed out, is to educate all parents and children to want such footwear. The Government think it best to proceed not by the development of formal standards which may be rejected by the customer, but by influencing the development of consumer demand for well designed footwear.

The report said that shoes which were exempt from purchase tax were more suitable for children than those which were not, and recommended that a similar relief should continue under VAT. This recommendation was accepted by the previous administration and, subject to a few technical amendments as a result of recommendations from the trade, has been implemented. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer thinks it right to continue relief from VAT for young children's footwear on this basis.

With the approval of my right hon. Friend, the Health Education Council has agreed to give a higher priority within 605W its estimates to its expenditure on foot health education in the current financial year, and will consider sympathetically the continuation of a similar level of expenditure. Steps will also be taken to remind those concerned at local level of the importance of foot health, which is already one of a wide range of topics covered in health education in schools and by health education officers, school medical officers, health visitors and school nurses. Similar arrangements will be made in Scotland.

The Government are pleased to note the committee's acknowledgement of much good work already being done by the footwear industry to promote foot health and commends its development.