§ MR. TREMAYNEasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether his attention has been drawn to the unnecessary expense which is entailed upon School Boards in rural districts by the requirement of the Public Works Loan Board that all payments of principal or interest of loans, advanced by the Board for building or other purposes, shall be made personally at the Bank of England, either by the treasurer of such School Boards or by some banker or agent, in cash or Bank of England notes; and whether he will consider in what way this mode of payment may be simplified and rendered less expensive; and whether he is prepared to introduce measures which will diminish the expenditure (at present unavoidable) upon elections to School Boards, in rural parishes, and upon the audit of their accounts?
§ VISCOUNT SANDONSir, with reference to the first Question of my hon. Friend, I beg leave to say that the Education Department will be glad to communicate on the matter, to which he has called my attention, with the proper authorities. No complaint has hitherto reached me on the subject, and the Government will be happy should it be able to meet the point to which the hon. Member has referred. In reply to his second Question—that is, the expenditure on the elections of rural school boards—I need hardly inform him that we have received serious complaints. I cannot, however, say that the Government are prepared to introduce a measure for the purpose of securing the desirable objects which he has mentioned; but I can assure him that the subject has been much considered by the Department, although no way of meeting the difficulties of it has been at present arrived at. I shall be glad to receive any suggestions which my hon. Friend or any other hon. Member may be so good as to favour me with on this subject.