§ MR. DIXONasked the Lord Advocate, Whether under the last paragraph of Clause 74 in the Education (Scotland) Bill the Scotch Education Department would not have power to make Grants to Roman Catholic and other Schools that may be hereafter erected but not placed under the control and management of the School Board; and, whether this power be not inconsistent with Clauses 28 and 29, which require the School Boards to provide all necessary School accommodation?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATEreplied that the leading enactment provided that Parliamentary grants might be made to any schools which, in the opinion of the Education Department, were efficiently conducting the secular education of the parish or district in which they were situate. To this there were two qualifications, the first being that no such grant should be made to any such school in respect of religious instruction; and the second that no such grant should be made to any school, not being a public school, established after the passing of the Act, unless such school should, after inquiry made, appear to the Department to be specially suited to the requirements of the parish in which it was situate. He would answer the last sentence of the Question in the course of the discussion that would shortly be held on the Scotch Education Bill.