HC Deb 29 May 1905 vol 147 cc83-4
MR. HERBERT ROBERTS (Denbighshire, W.)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the statement made on the 18th inst. by the chairman of the building committee of the Den bighshire education authority, to the effect that the council had appointed a surveyor before the appointed day to visit, inspect, and report upon the condition of every school in the county, provided and unprovided, and that the building committee had proceeded to execute the necessary repairs of the provided schools in accordance with the recommendations of the surveyor's report; and whether he is now in a position to verify the accurary of this statement.

SIR WILLIAM ANSON

I find on inquiry that a provisional survey of council schools in Denbighshire was made before the appointed day. Communications received from the local authority in March, April, and May, in response to requests made by the Board of Education for the remedy of defects in council schools, were to the effect that these matters were postponed until they could be reported upon by a surveyor and architect who was not appointed until the end of March and who entered on his duties on the 1st of this month. I cannot say what repairs were executed on the report of the provisional survey, but I infer from the communications which passed between the Board and the council that they were not of an important character. I will send the hon. Member a copy of my reply to the Denbighshire County Council.

MR. LLOYD-GEORGE

The hon. Baronet has not answered the Question whether the same surveyor did not survey the council and voluntary schools under the same appointment; I think we are entitled to an Answer to that.

SIR WILLIAM ANSON

I am prepared to give a fuller Answer. The same surveyor did survey both the voluntary and the council schools. As regards the voluntary schools, they were required at the beginning of March to effect certain repairs and improvements by the beginning of April, whereas similar repairs and improvements in the council schools asked for by the Board of Education were deferred until the appointment of a new surveyor.