§ MR. FRANCIS POWELL (Wigan)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he will favourably consider the insertion into the Elementary Education Bill, which the Government have undertaken to introduce during the next Session of Parliament, of provisions prepared with a view to relieve the managers of public elementary schools from the hardships which many now suffer, from the pressure of the 17s. 6d. limit and from their liability to the payment of rates?
§ *THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. W. H. SMITH,) Strand, WestminsterMy hon. Friend has referred in his question to the Elementary Education Bill which the Government have undertaken to introduce next Session, and he has asked me to give him certain specific engagements as to the provisions of that Bill. I must remind my hon. Friend that the Government have announced that in the scheme of assisted education which will be embodied in their measure they intend to provide that voluntary schools shall be enabled to take the part they have hitherto filled in meeting the necessities of elementary 14 education in England. They cannot this Session state the specific provisions of the Bill they hope to introduce, and I trust my hon. Friend will be satisfied with the general assurance I have now given him.