§ SIR JOHN KENNAWAY (Devonshire, Honiton)To ask the Secretary to the Board of Education whether, in view of the difficulty of education of children in workhouses, the Board of Education 694 will consider the question of the repeal of Section 40 of the Education Act, 1876.
(Answered by Mr. McKinnon Wood.) Section 40 of the Elementary Education Act, 1876, embodies the principle that outdoor relief to paupers shall not be continued unless their children of school age are regularly attending school. It does not apply to children in workhouses. I do not think the present moment would be opportune for dealing with the general question involved, which will no doubt receive consideration, among other matters, at the hands of the Poor Law Commission which is now sitting. Certain administrative difficulties which have arisen can be dealt with without resorting to legislation.