§ LORD R. CECILI beg to ask the President of the Board of Education what, approximately, will be the maximum and minimum grant paid in respect of any provided school apart from grants for special subjects under the Education Bill and the explanatory memorandum.
§ MR. MCKENNAOwing to the changes which would result from the operation of the Bill, it is not possible to estimate, even approximately, the effect in any area of the limitation of the grant to 75 per cent, of the local authority's expenditure on the elementary education account. But, ignoring altogether this limitation, which is expected to operate in very few areas, the maximum grant per child would be about 62s. and the mimimum about 38s. 6d. These figures are, however, based on the returns for the year 1906–7, and some small modification may be necessary when the figures for the current year are available. The noble Lord will, however, observe that the grant is not a grant in respect of individual schools, but is a grant in aid of the total expenditure of the local education authority on the elementary education account.
§ LORD R. CECILasked whether they were to understand that in the case of the voluntary schools there was to be a uniform grant of 47s. per child, but in the council schools the grant might vary from 62s. to 38s. 6d.
§ MR. MCKENNAThe noble Lord has fallen into an error. The grant to the local authorities is not paid in respect of schools. The grant varies in the case 1765 of each local authority, partly 'in accordance "with the amount of the total expenditure of the local authority. The noble Lord has correctly stated the amount that is proposed in the Bill in respect of each child in each voluntary school.
§ SIR EDWARD SASSOON (Hythe)asked whether the grant would be subject to deductions for fines and other contingent expenses.
§ MR. MCKENNAThe 47s. will be subject to fines, as is the case now with the grant paid to the local authorities.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOUR (City of London)asked whether 47s. was the grant per child in the case of voluntary schools, while the grant per child in the case of other schools might vary between 62s. and 38s. 6d. Was that an accurate summary of the right hon. Gentleman's statement?
§ MR. MCKENNANot quite, Sir. By working out what each local authority will receive, and by dividing that amount by the number of children, we obtain a figure varying between 38s. 6d. and 62s. But the amount of money which the local authorities will receive will not be the amount per child, because, as the right hon. Gentleman will remember, there is the building grant as well.