§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSON (Dundee)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Board of Education whether any regulations, in addition to those contained in the Revised Code of 1870 and other Codes, have been made by the Education Department with respect to the use of schools which have been aided by building grants.
§ THE SECRETARY OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Sir WILLIAM ANSON, Oxford University)By Regulations of the Board of Education such schools can only be transferred to School Boards under Section 23 of the Elementary Education Act, 1870, and the Board of Education refuse to pay annual grants to a School Board on account of such a school till this condition has been satisfied. Under the same Regulations a School Board may not pay any consideration (whether price or rent) for a school so transferred, except a strictly nominal one. The Regulations in the Code of 1870, to which the hon. Member refers, relate to the conditions on which building grants were made and not to the use of schools aided by such grants.
§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONBut are applicants for building grants required to give any undertaking to maintain the efficiency of the schools, and what provision is there for dealing with cases of failure to do so?
§ SIR WILLIAM ANSON:The Regulations contain certain requirements as to the maintenance of efficiency. I have not them before me just now, but if the hon. Member will give notice I will obtain the information.