§ SIR CHARLES RENSHAW (Renfrew, W.)To ask the Lord-Advocate whether, seeing that a sum of about £110,000 out of the general aid grant was carried to suspense account on March 31st this year, and that a further sum from the same source will be accumulated this year, he will say whether, under the Education (Scotland) Bill introduced this session, these sums would have been made available for educational purposes; and whether, in view of the fact that this Bill is not to be proceeded with, the Government propose to deal with this money by amending the Minute of June, 1897, as amended by that of April 30th, 1900, and place these additional sums at the disposal of the county committees, or what course it is intended to pursue.
(Answered by Mr. Scott Dickson.) The balances in question would have been made available for educational purposes under the Education (Scotland) Bill introduced this session. They will now be dealt with by further Minutes of the Department, as directed by Clause 3 of the General Aid Grant Minute of April 25th, 1904, and Clause 5 of the corresponding Minute of February 16th, 1905, and these Minutes will be laid before Parliament in due course. It is not proposed to apply these balances to augmenting temporarily the sums dealt with by the Minute of June 10th, 1897, and the amending Minute of April 30th, 1900, or to any other purpose of annual maintenance expenditure, but to reserve them for the purpose of aiding certain forms of capital expenditure for educational purposes. On reference to Clause 32 of the Education (Scotland) Bill, it will be seen that this is the purpose for which these balances were destined under the Bill.