§ SIR HENRY FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.)I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether his attention has been called to the action of the County Council of Staffordshire in diverting from technical education a sum of £7,000 (part of the grant from the Customs and Excise) for the purpose of completing the County Buildings; whether he is aware that the assessable annual value of the Administrative County of Stafford is upwards of £3,300,000, and that the annual charge for interest and sinking fund for the £7,000 would be £350 for 30 years; and whether any steps will be taken to insure that the grants made from the Customs and Excise to local authorities shall be devoted to educational purposes?
§ THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST,) Camb. UniversityI have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the statements in the first and second paragraphs. The Committee of Council have no power in the matter. The application of the grant referred to is entirely in the discretion of the County Council.