MR. MACKINTOSHasked the Vice President of the Committee of the Council on Education, Whether the Scottish Education Code, ordered by Law to lie upon the Table of the House during one month to afford opportunity for amendment and discussion, was not this year presented "in dummy," and allowed to remain inaccessible to Members for 24 days after its nominal presentation; and, whether he will undertake that it shall in future be laid upon the Table in fact as well as in form within the time specified by Law.
§ VISCOUNT SANDONSir, the Scotch Education Code was presented this year according to usage in dummy; but there is no doubt that, owing to accidental circumstances, a longer time than ordinary elapsed, to my regret, before it was in the hands of hon. Members. I quite agree that it is essential that hon. 1407 Members should have the full month at their disposal within which to raise objections to the Code, and I should think it very wrong that delays in printing the document should in any way curtail the rights of the House. We have the power of altering the Code by Minute of the Privy Council, and, if any hon. Member wishes to raise objections to it in the ordinary manner, within a reasonable period, I should not think of opposing the discussion in this instance, on the ground that the strict limit of time had elapsed. By saying that, however, I must beg to be distinctly understood as expressing no opinion whatever as to the hon. Member's proposal to make a Government grant for teaching Gaelic in certain Scotch schools.