§ MR. GEORGE WHITE (Norfolk, N. W.)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, with respect to Clauses 8 and 13 of the Education Bill, whether he will state with whom will rest the power to prescribe fees, if any, in schools not provided by the authority, and who will be responsible for their; collection; also, in whom will reside the authority to remit fees in a fee-paying school.
The following Questions also appeared on the Paper:—
§ MR. GEORGE WHITETo ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, having regard to Clauses 8 and 13 of the Education Bill, will he state whether the money will be advanced in lump sums to the managers of schools to be accounted for afterwards, or will the local authority directly pay the teachers' salaries and bills for school maintenance; and, in the former case, will the details of expenditure of grants from the local authority to schools, not provided by that authority, be subject to the audit of the Local Government Board Auditor.
§ MR. MANSFIELDTo ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, whether, in the event of there being more than one Education Committee for elementary education, as provided for in Clause 12 of the Educational Bill, each such Committee will have the power to fix the expenditure in its own district.
§ MR. MANSFIELDTo ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, whether the local authority will have power under Clause 8 of the Education Bill, to amalgamate neighbouring Schools belonging to the same denomination, in a locality, or to reorganise their departments; and will the local authority have power to give instructions at centres in such subjects as cookery, and manual instruction.
§ MR. GODDARD (Ipswich)To ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, what are the incidental or consequential provisions of the scheme or provisional order, under Clause 16, sub-section (2), of the Education Bill; and do these affect the powers of the Committee, or only its constitution.
§ MR. GODDARDTo ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, whether, under Clause 8, sub-section 1, of the Education Bill, it will be the duty of managers to buy furniture in the case of a new denominational school or to replace furniture; and will the local authority have power to decide that such furniture shall be suitable for elementary school purposes.
§ SIR THOMAS ROE (Derby)To ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether, under Clause 10 of the Education Bill, any elementary day school with an average attendance of thirty children be eligible at any time to claim recognition from the Board of Education.
§ SIR THOMAS ROETo ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether the local authority have power, under Clause 7 of the Education Bill, to establish regulations for the management of schools as given at present under Section 15, under the Act of 1870, for their own schools and for schools not provided by the authority.
§ SIR THOMAS ROETo ask the Vice - President of the Committee of Council on Education whether the local authority have power, under Clause 8 of the Education Bill, to make regulations dealing with school staff, salaries, and qualifications of teachers.
§ MR. LEVY (Leicestershire, Loughborough.)To ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether, in areas in which Part III. of the Education Bill is adopted, school teachers at present occupying positions on Borough or County Councils will be required to resign such positions as a condition of their continued employment by the local education authority; whether teachers employed in ex-board schools or in schools erected by the local education authority will be eligible for election to Borough or County Councils; and, if not, whether similar disabilities will apply to teachers engaged in other schools in the same areas.
§ THE FIRST LORD OF the TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.Owing to some misunderstanding my right hon. friend is not here, but I have been in communication with him about this long series of Questions, and we are certainly of opinion that it is extremely inconvenient to anticipate discussions in Committee stage by long interrogatories. I therefore hope hon. Members will reserve their Questions as far as possible till the Committee stage.
§ MR. GEORGE WHITEI would only point out that there are matters of detail on which the Bill gives no information whatever.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, but it is extremely difficult to deal with them by way of Question and answer.
§ MR. SPEAKERDoes the right hon. Gentleman's answer apply to the following Questions on the Paper?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, Sir.
§ MR. HUMPHREYS-OWEN (Montgomery Boroughs)Could not the right hon. Centleman deal with these Questions in a general statement?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURIn my opinion there are points in which the Bill will require to be modified, but they can be dealt with when we reach them in Committee.