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Drugs, medicaments, welfare foods, etc.
Drugs and medicaments (provided free), and nutrients (at fixed charges, abated
where necessary) continued to be supplied on medical recommendation at the welfare
centres in accordance with approved lists.
During 1956 the local distribution of national welfare foods taken over from the
Ministry of Food in June, 1954 was further combined with the work of the maternity
and child welfare centres.

Amenities funds
Small voluntary committees administered funds for the purposes of additional amenities
for mothers and children attending welfare centres and day nurseries. The voluntary
committees received contributions from Sunday cinematograph entertainments as in
previous years.
Marriage guidance
Financial aid by the Council towards the case work of three marriage guidance organisations
continued in 1956. With the consent of the Minister of Housing and Local
Government under section 136 of the Local Government Act, 1948, grants were approved
totalling .£5,500 for the year ending 31st March, 1957, to the London Marriage Guidance
Council, the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council and the Family Discussion Bureau.
In November, 1956, the Council urged the early adoption of the recommendation of
the Royal Commission on Marriage and Divorce that local authorities should be enabled
to make contributions, without ministerial consent, to agencies engaged in matrimonial
conciliation and that expenditure should rank for Exchequer grant at a rate not less than
50 per cent. The Council suggested that such contributions should be made under
Section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946.
A resume of the extent of the work of the three organisations referred to in the
preceding paragraph was given in my report for 1955. In October, 1956, the Family
Discussion Bureau changed from the sponsorship of the Family Welfare Association
(which established the Bureau in 1948) to that of the Tavistock Institute of Human
Relations, and a closer link with the mental health services as a whole was thereby
formed.
Day nurseries