When the debate was adjourned last night, I was expressing regret that, in sub-section (2) of this section, the Parliamentary Secretary was continuing his policy of directing rather than requesting or advising local authorities. I regret it particularly in relation to this section because it is the section which appeals most to me. I think we are likely to get far better results from a well-directed, intelligent educational campaign than we are from any of the drastic sections contained in the Bill, and it appeals to me particularly because it is more directed to the prevention of disease than many of the other sections we have discussed.
I was saying last night that I should like to see a very intensive educational campaign initiated in the schools, and particularly in the girls' schools. I believe that if short lectures were given in the schools and if we had a well-directed newspaper campaign, prepared under the guidance of experts in advertising and publicity, not merely for a week or two or for a month or two but continuously, if we had, as we might have, short films demonstrating the necessity of taking ordinary precautions and if children and adults were urged to call in the doctor earlier than is usually the case, we would be going much further to meet this problem than we are by most of the steps we are taking already.
The school medical inspection scheme, so far as it goes and so far as I know, is an excellent scheme and has certainly good results. My only objection to it is that it does not meet the situation. The scheme deals merely with physical defects which are found already existing, and, so far as I know, it is no part of the scheme and no part of the duty of any of the officials operating it to give instruction or lectures to the children on how best to safeguard and preserve their health. It is in the schools that this public health campaign should start, and, unless it starts in the schools and unless the children are taught at an early age how essential it is to take precautions regarding their health from every point of view, and particularly from the point of view of personal cleanliness, hygiene, sanitation and so on, I do not think that any number of Bills of the type of that now before us will solve the problem. Further, working along these lines, we are likely, and, I think, almost certain, to get more full and more close co-operation from all the people than we are likely to get by dragooning them.
I urge the Minister to consider favourably acceptance of this amendment. As I said last night, from my knowledge and personal experience as a member of the local authority, any such campaign as I suggest, and as apparently the Parliamentary Secretary has in mind under sub-section (1), would get the fullest and closest co-operation from every local authority. No local authority would jib at any expenditure considered necessary for a well-directed publicity campaign. I know that one of the difficulties in connection with the schools is that there is already what has been described as an over-loaded programme, but may I suggest that there are very few, if any, items in the school programme at the moment which are as important as the health of the children and of the nation, and I suggest it ought to be made part of the school programme that a teacher or somebody else would give lessons or lectures to the children on matters of public health and so on. So far as I know—I speak subject to correction in this matter—nothing of that sort is now being done, or has been done up to this. Again, I want to make myself perfectly clear.
So far as I know its operations, I have nothing but praise for the present school medical inspection scheme. I know that many children have had physical defects attended to and dealt with as a result of that scheme, which otherwise would perhaps never have come under a doctor's care and which might have been allowed to develop to such a point that it might not have been so easy, if it would not have been impossible, to cure them. What the Parliamentary Secretary wants to make this scheme of his fully effective is the fullest and freest co-operation of the local authorities, and he is more likely to get that if they are allowed to give it voluntarily rather than by direction. I suggest the Parliamentary Secretary will not only get the same results but better results if that co-operation is given by the local authorities at the request or on the advice of the Parliamentary Secretary.