§ MR. CROOKS (Woolwich)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many orders have been made by the London magistrates against parents whose children have been committed to industrial and truant schools during the last five years, and the amount of arrears still standing against such parents on the books of the department responsible for the collection of this money.
† See (4) Debates, cxliii., 939.
§ *MR. AKERS-DOUGLASI regret that I am unable to give the figures for five years; but during the last three years the total number of orders made in the Metropolitan district against parents whose children have been committed to industrial and truant schools was 3,171. The amount of the parental contributions still outstanding in respect of these orders could not be given without a detailed examination of the books, which would involve very great labour. I can, however, give the total amount of parental contributions written off as irrecoverable during that period, which was £10,936: while the amount which was collected was £13,544. These two latter figures do not include the amounts collected and written off respectively by the London County Council in respect of cases at the Feltham Industrial School and at the three day industrial schools in London, viz., Drury Lane, Brunswick Road, and Penton Road.