§ SIR G. KEKEWICHI beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether the Board informed the representatives of the International Congress on School Hygiene that they would neither send delegates to the congress themselves nor move the Foreign Office to issue invitations to foreign Governments to appoint delegates; whether the Board has now reversed that decision; and, if so, whether he can state the reason for the change of policy.
§ MR. LOUGHNo, Sir, the Board of Education informed the organisers of the congress from the outset that they would be glad to send official representatives to the congress and they have since done so. As regards foreign Governments, the Board of Education and the Government were obviously unable themselves to invite foreign Governments to send representatives to a congress which was not a Government congress but organised privately; but it was, from the beginning, arranged that the invitations to the congress should be sent to the foreign Governments through the medium of the Foreign Office, though not, of course, as being an invitation from the Government. This was done, and is the course that was adopted in the case of the first congress in 1904. I am obliged to my hon. friend for giving me this opportunity of saying that there has been no change of policy or attitude or decision towards the congress on the part of the Board of Education, who have from the outset been glad to assist the congress.
§ SIR G. KEKEWICHwas understood to ask if the Board of Education had sent delegates to the congress; if invitations had been issued to foreign countries through the Foreign Office, and if any 1836 pressure was put on the Board of Education to get invitations issued.
§ MR. LOUGHSubject to there being no mysterious meaning in the word "delegates" I may say the Board of Education has sent delegates. The remainder of the Question I have already answered.