HC Deb 03 May 1906 vol 156 cc722-3
DR. MACNAMARA

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether he is in a position to make any statement respecting the Board's scheme for the allocation of the £135,000 special aid grant promised on behalf of heavily rated areas in the Budget; and whether he will furnish a Return showing how much of the sum in question will be given to each recipient area.

MR. BIREELL

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension in thinking that the special aid grant referred to is a specific sum of £135,000 which is to be distributed amongst a definite number of local authorities. That sum is merely an estimate of the maximum sum likely to be required within the present financial year for the purposes of the grant. The scheme of the special grant (which is strictly temporary) is that the Government undertake to pay to each authority † See (4) Debates cliv., 1252. whose expenditure under Part III. of the Education Act to be mot from local rates has in the previous year exceeded the produce of an eighteen-penny rate a grant amounting to three-fourths of that excess. There are various necessary conditions and safeguards, incident to a grant of this kind, which will be set out in the Regulations for the grant which I hope shortly to issue. I am unable at present to give an exact list of the places which will certainly fall within the conditions above-named, or the precise amount which any place will in fact receive, until complete information is obtained from each authority as to the sums actually expended from the rates under Part III. of the Education Act in the preceding year. But, so soon as the Regulations are issued, each local authority will be able to work out approximately for itself (from its own expenditure records) the probable amount, if any, which it will receive.

DR. MACNAMARA

Is it intended that the grant shall be for one year only?

MR. BIRRELL

That is so.

DR. MACNAMARA

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether, in addition to the £135,000 new special aid grant promised in the Budget, the education authorities for necessitous areas will be eligible to receive for the year ending 31st March, 1907, all existing grants, including the special aid grant provided for in Section 10 of the Act of 1902.

MR. BIRRELL

Yes, Sir.