HC Deb 14 February 1881 vol 258 cc768-70
MR. THOMASSON

asked the Vice President of the Council, Whether the scheme of the Grantown Female Infant School, by which a recent endowment for female education is to be used for bursaries for children of both sexes, is in accordance with the principle of the Endowed Institutions (Scotland) Bill of this Session; and, whether it is intended by that Bill that funds left for the education of boys are to be devoted in part to the education of girls?

MR. PENNINGTON

asked the Lord Advocate, Whether he is aware that by the Provisional Order relating to the Grantown Female Infant School, laid upon the Table of the House on January 6th, an endowment made in the year 1861 for the exclusive benefit of female children, has been appropriated for the higher education of children of both sexes, and for the foundation of bursaries; whether such bursaries are for girls only, or for boys; and, whether, considering that endowments for the education of girls are comparatively few in number, the Government approve of the appropriation of any portion of this endowment to the education of boys?

MR. HENDERSON

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he will withdraw the Provi-visional Order relating to the Grantown Infant Female School until the state of public business will enable a discussion to be taken upon the propriety of the scheme sanctioned by such Order?

MR. MUNDELLA

Sir, the Question relating to the Grantown Provisional Order will be answered by the Lord Advocate, as the Education Department is not the final authority under the Scotch Act of 1878. The Endowments Bill of this Session specially proposes in Section 15, that in framing schemes provision shall be made for extending to girls the benefits of endowments, and so long as I am associated with the Education Department I will endeavour to secure a fair share for the girls.

THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. M'LARBN)

The Grantown Endowment consists of two legacies amounting to £1,800, one-half of which has been applied to building a school, which has, in fact, been used for the education of children of both sexes. The Governing Body desired to legalize that usage. The Commissioners, after talcing evidence, and without objection from the locality, reported in favour of the scheme, and the Education Department saw no objections to it. It did not appear to me, as Legal Adviser of the Home Department, that there were any good reasons for disagreeing with the recommendation of the Governing Body and the Commissioners. The English Endowed Schools Act, 1869, contains a direction to the Commissioners in framing schedules to provide for the extension to girls of the benefit of educational endowments. I therefore could not suppose that the extension of the benefit of the Grantown Endowment to both sexes was either inequitable in itself or opposed to Parliamentary policy.

SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT

said, in reply to the hon. Member for Dundee (Mr. Henderson), that as the Education Department, the Commissioners, the Trustees, and the Lord Advocate were all agreed that this Provisional Order should go on, he did not think he would be justified in withdrawing it.