HC Deb 01 August 1899 vol 75 cc1054-5
MR. AUSTIN (Limerick, W.)

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Government is prepared to introduce a clause into the Board of Education Bill defining the term "secondary education," and ensuring that no such education shall be provided out of the funds applicable to the purposes of technical instruction under the Technical Instruction Acts.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST,) Cambridge University

My right hon. friend has asked me to answer this. I can assure the hon. Member that the Government are not prepared to introduce such a clause into the Board of Education Bill.

MR. AUSTIN

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the statement appearing in the Return issued by the Education Department, dated 1st June, 1897, on secondary and other schools (not being public elementary or technical schools), that it is impossible to prescribe any definition of a secondary school, the Government are prepared to introduce a clause into the Board of Education Bill limiting the inspection of schools contemplated by Section 3 to such schools as the Board of Education may consider fall within the definition of schools supplying secondary education, and may be inspected by the Board's own officers with a view to the preparation of a further Report to be laid before Parliament, setting out the subjects and scope of instruction given in those schools, the ages of the pupils, and the occupation of the parents.

SIR J. GORST

No, the Government do not think it would be expedient to limit the operation of the Board of Education Bill in the manner suggested.

MR. AUSTIN

Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake to say that no money allotted to secondary education will be given to technical schools?

SIR J. GORST

There is a clause in the Bill which deals with that question.