HC Deb 07 June 1894 vol 25 cc567-8
MR. BROAD (Derbyshire, S.)

I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether, in cases where, under Section 97 of the Elementary Education Act of 1870, a School Board is entitled to the extra grant, such grant is forfeited by reason of the said Board having in the previous year levied a higher rate than was required for the purposes of that year, in order to provide and carry forward a working balance; and, if not, on what ground payment of the extra grant has been refused to the Stanton and New-hall School Board, whose expenditure for the year 1893 was £1,708 17s. 5d., and receipts, other than those derived from a rate of 8d. in the £1, were £1,380 8s. 4d. only?

MR. ACLAND

The figures given in the hon. Member's question as regards the case of the Stanton and Newhall School Board are correct, except that he has omitted to mention that at the beginning of the year ended the 29th of September, 1893, the Board had in hand a balance of £252 16s. 11d. This gave the Board a total sum of £1,633 5s. 3d. available towards meeting the expenditure of £1,708 17s. 5d., leaving a deficit of £75 12s. 2d. only, to be met out of the rates. The grant under Section 97 of the Elementary Education Act of 1870 is not payable unless the School Board satisfy the Education Department that the sum required for the purposes of their annual expenses amounted to a sum which would have been raised by a rate of 3d. in the £1 on the rateable value of the Board's district. The sum required for the year ended the 29th of September, 1893, by the Stanton School Board was, as has been said, £75 12s. 2d., which is less by £89 7s. 10d. than the £165 which would have been the product of a 3d. rate. In these circumstances, my Lords were advised that no grant under Section 97 was payable. The Board can avoid a similar loss of the Section 97 grant in future by so issuing their precept to the Rating Authority as to obtain payment of the amount required from the rates at the beginning of the financial year. This will make it unnecessary for them to retain a large balance in hand.