HC Deb 13 August 1896 vol 44 cc726-8
MR. J. G. TALBOT (Oxford University)

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he would consider the propriety of instructing the Medical Officer of Health, in cases where an elementary school has been closed by authority on account of the prevalence of infectious disease, to visit such schools and satisfy himself that the danger of infection is passed before the schools are re-opened?

THE SECRETARY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. T. W. RUSSELL,) Tyrone, S.

In cases in which an elementary school has been closed by the District Council, acting under the Education Code, on the advice of the Medical Officer of Health, it is his duty, whenever he deems such action necessary, to cause the premises to be disinfected or cleansed: but, when this bas been done, a visit to a school which is closed would not add to his information. Before the expiration of the specified period for which a school has been closed the duty of advising the District Council whether the circumstances call for any further restrictions on school attendance already devolves on the Medical Officer of Health, and the Board consider that he should make such inquiries as will enable him to advise in the matter.

MR. TALBOT

I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, whether he has considered the pecuniary loss suffered by elementary schools when they are compulsorily closed in consequence of the prevalence of infectious disease; and, whether he will consider the possibility of giving extra grants in such cases to cover such extraordinary expenditure?

THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir JOHN GORST,) Cambridge University

The cases mentioned in the question are already provided for by Articles 83 and 101 of the Code.

MR. RAYMOND GREENE (Cambridge, Chesterton)

I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether, seeing that when a school has been closed on account of an epidemic or the like, an allowance for the unavoidable absence is made in calculating the average attendance for the annual grant, the Department will take into favourable consideration the assimilating of the method of calculating the average attendance for the fee grant to the method on which that for the annual grant is calculated, and so avoid depriving a number of schools of a portion of the fee grant through no fault of their own?

SIR J. GORST

Legislation would be necessary to assimilate the methods of calculating average attendance for the purposes of the annual and fee grants. A clause having this object was put into the late Education Bill.

MR. ERNEST GRAY (West Ham, N.)

asked the right hon. Gentleman whether he would consider the desirability of introducing next Session legislation to deal with the matter?

SIR J. GORST

Mr. Speaker, I cannot say a deal about the legislation of next Session. [Laughter.]