§ SIR WALTER FOSTERI beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he is aware that some two months ago the Guardians of Shardlow Union (Derbyshire) decided to send the children who are inmates of the workhouse to the national school of the parish of Shard-low; whether the school managers, in 655 the first place, raised objections to receiving them, and finally charged a fee of 1s. per head, notwithstanding the fact that fees of only 2d. and 3d. per head were charged for other children not inmates of the workhouse, whose fees were paid by the Guardians; and whether he can take any steps to remedy this inequality of payment?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir W. HART DYKE, Kent, Dartford)The facts are as stated in the hon. Member's question. It is usual in such circumstances for the managers to charge a fee considerably in excess of that paid in respect of other scholars, and so long as the average fee is not thereby raised above 9d., the Department would not be justified in objecting to the fee charged.