§ MR. WALLACE (Edinburgh, E.)asked the Lord Advocate, Whether the Governors of the State-Aided School on James Gillespie's Foundation, Edinburgh, by their Regulations for the discipline of the school, authorize pupil teachers and assistants to inflict corporal punishment on the children attending the school, without consulting the head master, and to exercise their own discretion as to the severity of the punishment, the age of the children to be punished, and the choice of inflicting the punishment either in presence of the class or in private without any witness; whether, if this is so, he will call the attention of the Scottish Education Department to the condition of matters; and, whether, if the facts be otherwise, he will state what are the Regulations of the Governors on the subject?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities)The discipline of the school is a matter for which the Governors are responsible, and I am not aware of the nature of their Regulations on the subject. The Scotch Education Department has no power to interfere between the managers of a State-aided school and the teachers, except where the requirements of the Code have been infringed. Any case of excessive punishment is a matter for the Criminal Authorities to investigate, if it is brought under their notice.
§ MR. WALLACEMight I ask the right hon. and learned Gentleman whether he has made any inquiry as to what the Rules are?
§ MR. J. H. A. MACDONALDIf any charge is made to the Criminal Authorities, of whom I am one, the matter will certainly be gone into.