§ LORD EDMUND TALBOT (Sussex, Chichester)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether, in the event of a school contracting-out under the Education Bill, the furniture and equipment will be transferred to the trustees of such school.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Mr. MCKENNA,) Monmouthshire, N.The provisions of the Bill will not affect the ownership of the furniture or equipment of schools not transferred to the local education authority.
§ LORD EDMUND TALBOTMay I ask whether we are to understand that it will be in the power of the local education authority to remove the furniture out of the schools?
§ MR. MCKENNAIt would be so if the furniture was the property of the local authority.
§ LORD EDMUND TALBOTIs it not the property of the local authority?
§ MR. MCKENNAThat would depend. I could not say in each case whether it would be so or not, but I think not. As a rule the furniture was in the school before the local authority took the school over.
§ LORD EDMUND TALBOTIs it not a fact that the local authority has acquired the furniture in many schools?
§ MR. MCKENNAIn some cases they have, but my Bill does not touch those cases.
§ LORD EDMUND TALBOTThen I take it that it will be in the power of the local authority to remove the furniture?
§ MR. MCKENNANo, that is not quite accurate. It would be so in some cases, but not in others.
§ MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)Is it not a fact that in most Roman Catholic schools the whole of the furniture before the present Act came into operation was very wretched and dilapidated and poor, and has been replaced under the present Act by proper furniture, which furniture, of course, is the property of the local authorities, and does it not mean that in the case of all these poor schools this furniture will be removed and the burden thrown on the people of finding new furniture?
§ MR. MCKENNASuch a general statement as that I could not reply to by a general answer. It would require examination in each case to see whether, in fact, the furniture had always been supplied by the local authorities.
§ MR. JOHN REDMONDSpeaking generally of these Catholic schools, is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that they have been very poor and necessitous schools, and that, in almost all these cases, the furniture was bad, and was replaced by the local authorities.
§ MR. MCKENNANo, I could not say that with my present knowledge. I could inquire into the point.
§ LORD EDMUND TALBOTIf the statement of the hon. Member for Waterford is correct, will the right hon. Gentleman insert provisions in his Bill so as to arrange for this?
§ MR. MCKENNANo, Sir; I can give no undertaking.