§ MR. H. BYRON REED (Bradford, E.)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the fact that a sum of nearly £4,000, arising out of the Local Taxation Act surplus, has been handed over to the Bradford Town Council for purposes of technical instruction; whether the Bradford Church Institute, in common with other institutions in the town providing technical instruction, and having schools of art and science classes in connection with the Science and Art Department, South Kensington, made application for a share of this grant; whether he is aware that the said science and art classes of the Bradford Church Institute have been established for 17 years, and are the second oldest of the kind in that town, are conducted on absolutely non-sectarian lines, and are open to and attended by students of all religious denominations; and whether, in view of the fact that, notwithstanding these circumstances, the Bradford Town Council has declined to apportion to the Church Institute any share of the funds placed at their disposal, he can apply or suggest any remedy for this?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir W. HART DYKE, Kent, Dartford)Perhaps the hon. Member will allow me to reply to the question. The facts of the case have been correctly stated by my hon. Friend, and, in reply to. an inquiry from a member of the Bradford County Council, the Science and Art Department have expressed 1157 their opinion that the school in question comes within the purview of Sub-section 1 (1) (d) of the Technical Instruction Act, 1889, and is qualified for the receipt of aid from the rates. If, therefore, the managers of the school feel aggrieved at the decision of the Council, it is for them to appeal to the Science and Art Department, under the subsequent sub-section of the Act, which provides that such points are to be determined by that Department.