§ MR. HARRY FOSTER (Suffolk, Lowestoft)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he will issue a Circular of Inquiry to all Her Majesty's Inspectors, asking, in general terms, for their experience in respect to the alleged existence of serious and rapidly-growing scarcity among the various classes of elementary teachers, particularly having regard to the very large increase in school attendance since the passing of the Free Education Act; and whether he will print their replies in full and lay them before Parliament in time to be considered before the discussion of the New Code?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Mr. ACLAND, York, W.R., Rotherham)I have so lately made inquiries on this matter generally from the Inspectors that I am unable to issue another Circular. The results of the inquiry are embodied in the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Oxford University on the 24th November and 5th December last. I shall be glad to give the hon. Gentleman any further information if necessary beyond what is contained in those answers, and in my answer to the hon. Member himself on the 29th December last.