§ LORD FRANCIS HERVEYasked the Vice President of the Council, For what reason payment of the annual Grants to Elementary Schools is ordinarily two months in arrear of inspection?
§ VISOOUNT SANDONSir, the payments of schools of course depend upon the manager's yearly returns, the Inspectors' Reports, and the examination of these returns and Reports in the Education Office. The chief cause of delay rests with the managers, many of whose returns are not ready on the day of inspection, and as a matter of fact about 50 per cent of these returns have to be sent back by the Department for completion and correction by the managers before they can be acted upon. It must also be remembered that the Inspectors work in schools for five days in 1735 the week, and Lave only Saturdays for making up the Reports on their week's work, and for their correspondence with the managers and the Department, Considering these circumstances, as well as the great care which is needed in the examination, at the Department, of the details and minute particulars upon which these Grants depend, I do not think that the interval, which at present averages about six weeks between the inspection and the payment of the Grant can be considered excessive. I need hardly assure my noble Friend that we are always endeavouring to reduce the interval between the inspection and the payment so as to meet the convenience of the schools.