§ MR. LANE-FOX (Yorkshire, W.R., Barkston Ash)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether there is a deficiency of school accommodation at present at Low Valley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire; whether any progress has been made in providing new school accommodation; and, if not, why Church and Roman Catholic schools have been recently closed as unnecessary.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Mr. McKenna,) Monmouthshire, N.I am informed that the local authority hope to have completed the conveyance of the site for a new school in the course of a week or two, and that permanent buildings will be provided 1177 with all despatch. I understand that there are sufficient places available in the various schools for the children who re quire them, but I am having Returns pre pared of the attendance up to the end of this month, and in the event of any over crowding upon the recognised accommodation being found to exist I propose to require that a temporary school shall be erected to be ready for occupation after the summer holidays.
§ MR. LANE-FOXIs it not the fact that forty-one girls have been refused ad mission to this school, and that the decision of the managers of the school that it is overcrowded has been over ruled by the local authorities?
§ MR. MCKENNAOn the last point I must ask for notice. I believe it is the case that forty-one children have been refused admission to the school.
§ MR. LANE-FOXI beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the Roman Catholic elementary school at Low Valley is a modern and well-equipped building, and that the adjacent Council school is a very old and unsatisfactory building; and will he explain why the latter is maintained by the West Riding County Council, while the former is refused maintenance as being unnecessary.
§ MR. MCKENNAI am unable to say whether the Roman Catholic school is a modern building, but when the Board's architect visited it last year it was far from satisfactory for school purposes. The Council school building is admittedly unsuitable, and its use will be discontinued as soon as a new school is provided. The Council school is maintained by the local education authority, because it is recognised as a public elementary school; the Roman Catholic school is not so maintained because recognition as a public elementary school has been refused.
§ MR. BOLAND (Kerry, S.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education what steps he proposes to take in order that the Low Valley Catholic school may be again placed on the grant list.
§ MR. MCKENNANo new facts have been brought to my notice which require 1178 or justify any modification of my previous decision.
§ MR. BOLANDIn consequence of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply I shall raise this Question on the Motion for adjournment on Friday afternoon.