§ Mr. WHITEHEAD (Essex, S.E.)To ask the President of the Board of 254 Education whether he is aware of the difficulty in arranging for teachers' houses in connection with provided schools which is caused by the fact that at least 50 per cent. of the cost of such premises is chargeable on the parish, although the whole of the teachers' salary is charged on the county fund; whether he is aware that this produces difference of treatment as between parishes where the schools arc respectively provided and non-provided, owing to the fact that deductions from salaries on account of rent are not paid to the parish in the former case, even when the teacher's house is the property of the parish, but in the case of non-provided schools are paid to the trustees of the school; whether this difference can be remedied without legislation; and, if not, whether he can see his way to introduce legislation giving power to county authorities to erect, hire, or purchase dwelling-houses for teachers and apportion the cost as between the parish and the county in such way as may be just.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) It is no doubt true that the cost of providing or renting a teacher's house for a council school must, to the extent of at least one-half, be charged on the parish or parishes served by the school. The cost of renting a teacher's house for a voluntary school is paid out of the county fund, and in both cases any reduction in the teacher's salary due to his occupation of a house rent free is credited to the county. This arrangement could only be altered by legislation, but I may point out that if the county council consider that the parish should not be charged with so high a proportion of the cost of the teacher's house, it would be open to them, in allocating, within the limits imposed by the statute, the cost of provision of council schools between the parishes and the county, to charge on the parishes a smaller proportion when a teacher's house is included than they would charge where a teacher's house is not included.