§ MR. MCKENNA (Monmouthshire, N.)To ask the Secretary to the Board of Education what financial liability under the Education Act of 1902 attaches to a publicly-appointed manager of a non-provided school; whether such manager is personally liable for any expenditure incurred by the general body of managers, even though he was not present at the meeting when such expenditure was determined upon, or, if present, had voted against it; and also whether such manager is in any case personally liable for expenditure incurred by the managers in the upkeep of the school building.
(Answered by Sir William Anson.) A publicly-appointed manager of a voluntary school can only incur personal liability for expenditure incurred by the general body of managers if he makes himself a party to a contract. Managers appointed by local authorities would therefore incur liability only if they joined in giving orders for repairs or other expenditure, or if they allowed the general body of managers to be regarded as their agents for the purpose. They 283 can communicate through the local Press, and record on the minutes of the managers' meeting the fact that they repudiate all such liability, and do not recognise their colleagues as their agents. If they do this it would seem that they might safely attend a meeting at which expenditure on repairs was voted, or might even vote in favour of a resolution that such expenditure was desirable.