§ MR. LANE-FOX (Yorkshire, W.R., Barkston Ash)To ask the President 1202 of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the West Riding County Council have made a demand for payment by the guardians of the Hunslet Union of the cost of the education at public elementary schools of children maintained by the guardians, and that, although the Hunslet Union is situate in two administrative counties, the institutions in which such children are maintained are entirely within the West Riding area, and the rates paid by the guardians for education purposes in respect of such buildings is equivalent to £1 18s. 6d. per annum for each child attending school; and whether, seeing that the net cost to the council of the education of such children during the last three years has only been £1 4s. 3d. per head per annum, he is prepared, in view of his reply to the hon. Member for Hackney on 14th May, 1907, † to take any steps in the matter.
(Answered by MR. McKenna.) I have received no official intimation of the incidents in question. In the event of the children referred to being excluded, or threatened with exclusion, from school owing to the refusal of the guardians to pay the contributions demanded of them, the Board may be called upon to determine whether such exclusion is reasonable. Such decision could only be given after full consideration of the circumstances of the case, and after hearing the statements of both parties.