§ MR. HUMPHREYS-OWENI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he can lay upon the Table a Return supplementary to [Cd. 315] showing separately, from other miscellaneous expenditure on elementary schools the costs of repairs, rent, and taxes on voluntary and Board schools respectively.
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.I fear that particulars could not be got without a very great amount of trouble, and that even then they would not be available till after the Education Bill had been under consideration.
§ MR. HUMPHREYS-OWENMay I ask whether, in point of fact, these figures are not added up and included in one column?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am informed that the Return would be extremely costly, would involve the consideration of details of the accounts of some 20,000 schools, and oven then would be so imperfect as not to be of much use.
§ MR. HUMPHREYS-OWENWould it not be possible, from the materials in the hands of the Government, to set out the particulars in the shape asked for?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI thought I had answered. I have not myself inspected the forms, but lam told they are in such a shape that it would involve a most laborious and lengthy examination of the separate accounts of all the schools to give such a Return.