§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read.
§ *LORD THRINGI have to ask your Lordships to read this Bill a second time. It is, in effect, little more than a declaratory Bill. It removes certain difficulties out of the way of the County Councils. Its first object is to declare that County Councils may unite for the purpose of establishing schools for technical education by removing the difficulties which might arise in many cases if they were confined to their own districts. This is obviously expedient, because several Councils can form a great school for the benefit of their united counties, instead of single counties forming schools for their own districts only. The next object is very similar. It is, that County Councils may give scholarships outside their own counties. It would really amount almost to an absurdity to compel a County Council to grant a scholarship to, perhaps, a bad school within its own district when it might make that grant for a good school without its boundaries. The 3rd clause is merely declaratory. It is simply to remove doubts as to the capacity of County Councils to carry over money to a suspense account until they have agreed what scheme of technical education they will adopt. I may say that I have been in doubt whether the counties have not this power under the existing law; but if they have not this clause is absolutely necessary, as most of the County Councils have not yet made their plans, and they must have time to complete them. This Bill has been passed unanimously by the House of Commons; it is assented to by Her Majesty's Government; and I think, therefore, I may ask your Lordships to grant it a Second Reading.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Viscount CRANBROOK)My Lords, I have great pleasure in supporting the Bill of the noble and learned Lord. The only remark I need make upon it is that the last clause has, I believe, been drawn by the authorities of the Local Government Board itself; and the proposal there made is rather to 1037 explain and expand the old Act with regard to technical instruction. I hope your Lordships will give the Bill a Second Reading.
§ Bill read 2a (according to order), and committed to a Committee of the Whole House to-morrow.