§ MR. PICTON (Leicester)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee 1428 of Council on Education whether the Education Department has refused to sanction the engagement of a girl as pupil teacher in the British School at Embsay, Yorkshire, on the ground that she has not been vaccinated; and whether there is anything in the Education Acts or the Vaccination Laws requiring pupil teachers to be vaccinated; and, if not, what is the legal justification for this refusal?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir W. HART DYKE,) Kent, DartfordYes, Sir. The Code of 1885, which was signed by Lord Carlingford and the right hon. Member for Sheffield, first laid down that the certificate of health required for pupil teachers should be in a form prescribed by the Department. The form adopted was one in use at several of the Training Colleges, and contained the requirement as to vaccination, and I think that the right hon. Gentleman opposite, and his successors, have been right in adhering to this form as a measure of protection to young children collected in schools.
§ MR. PICTONDid the Department obtain legal opinion?
§ * SIR W. HART DYKEThere was no doubt on the subject.