§ MR. LAMBERT (Devon, South Molton)I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he is aware that a perfectly regular application to hold a political meeting in the national schoolroom at Alwington, Devon, has lately been refused to the Liberal candidate for the Barnstaple Division; whether he will state to the House the total income of the school, specifying the amount received from the public funds and from voluntary subscriptions; whether he is aware that the Alwington School received £21 5s., or nearly 10s. per scholar, in 1897–8 under the Voluntary Schools Act, 1897; and if he will withdraw the aid grant under that Act in the event of the use of the school being denied for a legitimate public purpose?
§ THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST,) Cambridge UniversityParliamentary candidates have no right to claim the use of elementary schools for political meetings. The school receives £74 8s. 6d. from public funds £23 14s. 9d. from voluntary subscriptions, and 16s. from sale of needleworlk—a total of £98 19s. 3d. The statement in the third paragraph is substantially correct. There is no ground for with-drawal of the aid grant.