§ MR. J. WILSON (Lanark, Govan)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether a Circular has been issued by the Science and Art Department, to the effect that in future no pupil on the register of an elementary school can be examined in science by that Department; whether he is aware that several School Boards in Scotland have, on the strength of encouragement held out to them by the Department, incurred considerable expense in providing laboratories and apparatus, as well as teaching power, all of which will, under the new conditions imposed by the Circular referred to, be rendered useless; and whether, in the circumstances, the Department will withdraw the conditions imposed by the said Circular so far, at least, as it refers to Scotland?
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTON (Tower Hamlets, Poplar)May I ask whether the Minute in question will apply equally to Board Schools in England?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir W. HART DYKE,) Kent, DartfordThe Circular in question was issued to check the duplication of payments caused by the overlapping of the functions of the Education Departments in the three Kingdoms and the operations of the Science and Art Department; but representations having been made to me that paragraph 2 of the Circular will have a detrimental effect upon science instruction in many schools, I am considering the possibility of substituting for the rule there laid down some regulation which, without being open to the same exception, will promote the object we have in view.
§ DR. KENNY (Cork, S.)Will a similar Rule apply to Ireland?
§ SIR W. HART DYKEI must ask the hon. Gentleman to be good enough to put the question down.