§ CAPTAIN SINCLAIR (Forfar)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate, will he explain why, under the Voluntary Schools Act, 1897, and Elementary Education Act, 1897, England is to receive on this year's Estimates a grant of £622,000 for Voluntary schools, and of £170,000 additional for necessitous Board schools, with a further sum of £60,000 as the result of the repeal of the 17s. 6d. limit, or a, total of £852,000, as against only £12,000 for Voluntary schools in Scotland, £24,000 additional for necessitous Board schools, and £5,000 to keep up the Scotch capitation fee grant to 12s. per head, or a total of £41,600 borne on the imperial Estimates for the current year in respect of the 746 corresponding legislation for Scotland whether the amount thus actually payable to England has greatly exceeded the amount estimated in 1897, whilst the amount payable to Scotland has turned out to be greatly less than that estimated (£41,600 in place of £66,000); and, whether the Government will reconsider the grant which was made, to Scotland under the legislation of 1897.
§ MR. A. G. MURRAYAs I have already stated, it is extremely difficult to I deal with the matter involved in the question of the hon. Member by way of question and answer in the House. I shall be prepared to deal with it more fully in the discussion on the Estimates, but, meanwhile, I am to state that the Government is not prepared at present to re-open the question of the proportion between the grants to England and Scotland in connection with the legislation of 1897.