§ MR. S. WILLIAMSON (Kilmarnock, &c.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he will make arrangements in order to make the expressed desire of about 50 School Boards in Scotland, representing a population of over 800,000, to make the Census Returns of all children under 14 years of age available for School Board purposes, no addition to the existing schedules being required and no additional cost incurred, the School Boards being willing to pay for copies of the particulars required, or to make copies themselves, under such conditions as would not affect the confidential character of the Returns?
§ *MR. RITCHIEThe Census Returns are obtained for statistical purposes only. The information given on the householders' schedule is of a confidential character, and it is clear that if permitted to be used in the manner proposed this character would be destroyed and great difficulties would be thrown in the way of obtaining accurate Returns. I understand that this proposal was put before the Committee on the Census, whose Report is now, I believe, about to be presented.