§ MR. BARTLEY (Islington, N.)asked the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, Whether his attention has been called to several cases of widows with children having been sent to prison for three days at the Dalston Police Court on Friday 13th instant because they were unable to pay fines of 3s. imposed for non-attendance of their children at the board school; 1744 whether any arrangement is made in such cases for looking after the children while the widowed mothers are in prison; and, whether, alike in the interests of education as well as of humanity, instructions can be given for this severe penalty, if it must be enforced at all, to be enforced with the greatest possible care?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT (Sir WILLIAM HART DYKE) (Kent, Dartford), in reply, said, his attention had only been called to these cases by the Question. The Education Department had, however, no power to interfere with the action of a police magistrate in dealing with the nonpayment of fines imposed by his Court.