§ MR. RICHARDasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether it is true, as alleged in the "Pall Mall Gazette" of the 2nd instant, that there is reason to believe the practice was observed until recently in certain localities of giving instruction in the Church of England catechism in School Board Schools; and, if so, whether he will state to the House in how many cases the returns reported such instruction was given in Board Schools, and what course the Educational Department has taken in regard to those cases?
§ VISCOUNT SANDONSir, when the replies were received last year to the Re-turn respecting religious instruction in board schools, moved for by my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, it was found that in the case of five board schools instruction was being given in 484 the Church Catechism. None of these schools had been inspected since the date when they came under the control of the board, so that the time-tables had not been seen or approved by Her Majesty's Inspectors. Four of them had been previously Church schools, and were either temporarily occupied by the board, or were in course of being transferred to the board. Only one was a new school provided by a school board. A letter was at once, as a matter of course, addressed to the school boards, pointing out that Section 14 (2) of the Act was being violated by the provisions made for religious instruction, and stating that it would be the duty of the Department to declare the boards to be in default, unless the time-tables of their schools were at once brought into conformity with the requirements of the Act as to the admission of the Church Catechism. In every case the necessary alteration was at once made.