§ MR. NIELDI beg to ask the hon. Member for the Holmfirth Division, as Chairman of the Public Petitions Committee, if he will state how many petitions have been presented in favour of and against the Education (England and Wales) Bill respectively; and what aggregate number of signatures such petitions represent respectively, distinguishing how many of such petitions are officially signed by a chairman on behalf of a meeting or otherwise in a representative capacity.
§ * MR. H. J. WILSON (Yorkshire, W.R., Holmfirth)replied that there was some difficulty in giving a precise reply, but the total number of signatures which appeared to be, broadly speaking, against the Bill was 802,899. They were contained in 6,938 petitions, 1573 fifty of which were signed by chairmen of meetings. There were certain petitions for alterations of the Bill, but he had no information, without long search, as to what the nature of those alterations was. The twenty-nine petitions in favour of the Bill contained 175 signatures. Fifteen were signed by chairmen.