§ MR. ARMITAGE (Leeds, Central)To ask the President of the Board of Education what is the total capital expenditure of local education authorities, including that spent by school boards, on the provision of public elementary schools from the coming into operation of the Education Act, 1870, down to the end of the last financial year; what amount was owing by local education authorities under this head at the commencement of the last financial year; and what was the amount paid by local education authorities during that year for interest and for sinking funds respectively on such indebtedness.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) Complete figures for total capital expenditure on the provision of public elementary schools are not avaliable, but the amount of loans for the provision of public elementary schools sanctioned to school boards since 1870 was £48,764,48110s. 2d., 203 and to local education authorities under the Education Act, 1902, to 31st March, 1906, £4,437,035, together amounting to £53,201,516 10s. 2d. The loans outstanding on 31st March, 1905, amounted to £35,878,591 12s. 11d. and the payments in respect of loans for the year ending 31st March, 1905, to £2,210,964. The figures for outstanding loans and for payments in respect of loans for the year ended 31st March, 1906, are not yet available.