§ MR. HENRY HOBHOUSE (Somerset, E.)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, if in Clause VII. of the proposed Science and Art Directory the term "authority" is intended to include any statutory body at present existing in England or only such joint committees or combinations of the various bodies interested in technical and secondary education as may be formed by voluntary action; and, if in recognising such authorities the Department will take care to reserve the rights of any statutory authorities for secondary education that may hereafter be created?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir JOHN GORST,) Cambridge UniversityThe clause was suggested by a Departmental Committee and is at present under the consideration of the Committee of Council. They do not understand that by the use of the word "authority" the Departmental Committee intended to recommend the Department to attempt to confer coercive powers upon any statutory body, but only to encourage the various public bodies dealing with secondary and technical education to combine for the purpose of preventing overlapping. Care will be taken to prevent the growth of interests which might interfere with the action of statutory authorities hereafter created.