§ MR. BARROW (Southwark, Bermondsey)On behalf of the hon. Member for the Rushcliffe Division of Nottingham, I beg to ask the Parliamentary Charity Commissioner what explanation there is of the fact that in the constitution of the Governing Bodies, under the Endowed Schools Acts, so meagre a recognition appears to have been given to the representative principle, as disclosed in Return No. 244, Session 1893, many of the persons entered in column (b) being nominated by individuals, and the principle only applying "eventually" in a very largo number of cases; and whether he can assure the House that this principle shall now receive full and primary recognition by the Charity Commission in the constitution of these Governing Bodies?
§ *THE PARLIAMENTARY CHARITY COMMISSIONER (Mr. T. E. Ellis,) MerionethshireThe Return appears to have been misunderstood. Column (b) relates solely to Governors appointed as co-optative Governors, and the word "eventually" in that column has no reference to representative Governors. The representative principle, the application of which is set out in column (c), takes effect at once with a single exception noticed in the last column on page 3. The occasional appointment of a Governor, or Governors, by an individual is due to special circumstances, as, for instance, the recent gift of £20,000 by a late Duke of Bedford. The Commissioners believe that the Return, on examination, will show that the representative principle receives full recognition in the schemes comprised within its scope, especially since the establishment of County Councils under the Local 632 Government Act of 1888. The passage of the Parish and District Councils Bill of this year will make the further application of the principle still more easy and sure.