§ MR. MUNDELLAI beg to ask the Lord Advocate how many of the 3,200 public and State-aided schools in Scotland now charge school fees in the compulsory standards; and to what uses are the funds applied which, under "The Educational Endowments (Scotland) Act, 1883," were set apart for the payment of school fees?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. P. B. ROBERTSON,) ButeshireThe number of State aided schools in Scotland is, according to the latest Returns, 3,126. Regulations as to the relief of fees have now been approved for all these. Under these regulations fees are abolished in all the compulsory standards except in 85 schools. In 25 of these fees are abolished up to Standard IV., and are chargeable only to a proportion of the scholars in Standards IV. and V. Forty-four schools have been sanctioned as schools in which fees may be charged under paragraph 7 of the Minute of August 26; and 16 schools have not claimed any share in the fund for the relief of fees. Funds which, by schemes under the Educational Endowments Act of 1882, were allocated for the payment of school fees in the compulsory standards have to be dealt with where the scheme does not provide some alternative method of application under regulations made and approved in terms of Section 85 of the Local Government Act. Regulations have accordingly been made and approved in the case of 152 schemes. The funds so set free will generally be applied towards payment of fees beyond the compulsory standards or in the establishment of bursaries to induce children to remain longer at school.