MR. CARTERasked the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, Whether he is willing to direct that the Balance Sheets of all Elementary Schools receiving Government Grants should be published in the local newspapers, in order that the inhabitants of the district in which such schools are situated, and for whose benefit they are erected and maintained, may have a full knowledge of their financial position and resources?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERsaid, in reply, that no power was given to the Department by the Act of last year to require that those balance-sheets should be published, as the hon. Gentleman wished. He was not sure whether they had such a power or not; but, even if they had, he confessed he did not think it desirable to exercise it, for three reasons. First, because it would be a great inconvenience to make any further alteration in the Code this year; secondly, if the Department required such a thing to be done it would be necessary to see that it was done correctly, and that would impose great labour on the Office; and, thirdly, because it was not necessary. There were more than 8,000 of those schools in England and Wales, and no doubt it would be a very good thing for the local newspapers to have the advertisements; but it was an universal order to the Inspectors to see those accounts and ascertain that they were correct.