§ MR. HARRY S. FOSTER (Suffolk, Lowestoft)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education—(1) if his attention has been called to the recent manifesto of the Roman Catholic Bishops demanding that a voluntary school may be opened at any time or place, and may receive the Government grant, provided that the requirements of the Department are fulfilled, and to the recent Resolution of the Protestant Archbishops' Committee that public grants should be made to new denominational schools where there is at present no adequate provision for distinctive religious teaching; and (2) whether it is the case that according to the ruling of the Education Department, a religious body cannot obtain State aid for a new school in a School Board district without having first obtained the sanction of the Board for the opening of such school; and (3) if so, whether he is prepared to consider the matter with a view to the removal of a condition of things which is regarded as a grievance by the supporters of denominational schools?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Mr. A. H. D. ACLAND,) York, W.R., RotherhamI have seen the documents referred to in the first part of the question. As to the second part of the question, the ruling of the Department referred to has been, that of all successive Governments since 1870. The Government are not prepared to introduce legislation altering the Act of 1870 in this respect.