§ MR. PICTON (Leicester)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether his attention has been directed to a letter written by the Secretary of the Education Department to Miss Ryley, of Birkdale, dated 10th March, 1893, in answer to an application for free schooling on behalf of 11 children, and referring the applicants to the managers of the Ainsdale Roman Catholic School; and whether he is prepared, in this and similar cases, to make attendance at a Roman Catholic school a necessary condition of free schooling for Protestant children?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Mr. ACLAND,) York, W.R., RotherhamMy attention has been called to the letter in question. It appeared on inquiry that the Roman Catholic School, which was a free school, had ample vacant accommodation for both older children and infants, and that, therefore, there was no deficiency of free school places. In this and similar cases I have to deal with the law as it stands. The Education Acts make no distinction between Roman Catholic and other Schools so long as they are Public Elementary Schools, and I do not think it is possible under the Acts to compel a school district to provide additional accommodation, if that in existing Public Elementary Schools is sufficient.
§ MR. PICTONHas the right hon. Gentleman got evidence for certain that the School in question is free?
§ MR. ACLANDI understand that it is free, but I will make further inquiry.