§ MR. CHANNING (Northamptonshire, E.)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether his attention has been called to a recent speech by Mr. G. W. Kekewich, at Brighton, in which it was stated that there are in the North of England Board schools which are worse structurally than any voluntary schools; whether any of these defective Board schools are transferred schools; whether any steps were taken to make them structurally efficient before they were transferred to School Boards; whether he will now take steps to have the structural defects remedied; and 316 whether he will grant a Return of these schools?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Mr. ACLAND, York, W.R.,) RotherhamMr. Kekewich informs me that what he said, so far as he recollects, was that, in speaking of sanitary defects, he did not refer to voluntary schools alone, as there were many Board schools in the North and other parts of England which were as deficient as voluntary schools in that respect. He spoke from general knowledge, and not with reference to any list of defective schools. Apart from the particular speech alluded to, there is no doubt that many of the most defective Board schools are to be found among those which were old buildings taken over by Boards, not among those which Boards have built themselves. As to the steps taken to make such schools structurally efficient when they were transferred to the Board, it is difficult to answer except in relation to particular cases. The Department is taking measures to have structural or sanitary defects in all schools, Board and voluntary alike, remedied within a reasonable time. Exact statistical information is being collected, under a recent Circular, as to the structural and sanitary condition of all school buildings throughout the country. I think my hon. Friend will see that it would not be easy to provide a Return of the schools he mentions just at present.