HC Deb 15 April 1907 vol 172 cc610-1
MR. D. A. THOMAS (Merthyr Tydvil)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education if he will issue a Return for 1906, similar to that made in 1900 [Cd. 315], showing, for each public elementary school inspected in England and Wales, the name and denomination of school, the accommodation, the average attendance, the annual grant paid, and particulars of school income and expenditure; and if he cannot give the Return for England will he give it for Wales only.

MR. MCKENNA

All the information which my hon. friend requires, with the exception of the Annual Grant paid and the particulars of school income and expenditure, will be found in the List of Public Elementary Schools in England and Wales on 1st January, 1906, issued by the Board of Education [Cd. 3182]. The grants are no longer paid to managers responsible for individual schools, but to local education authorities, and are not earmarked as sums to be spent upon the particular schools in respect of which they are paid. Moreover, the expenditure upon each individual school is not separated in the accounts of most authorities. I doubt, therefore, whether it would be possible to obtain the information in respect of either England or Wales, and I am certain the results would not justify the very large expenditure involved. I must also point out to my hon. friend that the conditions under which the Return was granted in 1900 have entirely changed owing to the passing of the Education Act, 1902.

MR. D. A. THOMAS

Have the Department no official information as to the application of the rates to various schools?

MR. MCKENNA

The information could be supplied in some cases but not in others.

LORD R. CECIL (Marylebone, E.)

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the House any information as to those local authorities which do not make any payment out of the rates towards the support of schools?

MR. MCKENNA

No doubt the information could be obtained, but it would take a very long time.

LORD R. CECIL

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the possibility of getting it?

MR. MCKENNA

Yes.