§ LORD R. CECIL (Marylebone, E.)I beg to ask the President of the 951 Board of Education in how many cases in respect of the year 1906–7 the Monmouthshire local education authority was fined for understaffing schools which it was their duty to maintain; whether all of those schools were non provided schools; whether, since then, the same authority has been fined for understaffing the Llangibby School; and whether he will grant a Return showing in what cases the Welsh local education authorities have been fined during the last five years for under-staffing non-provided schools.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Mr. RUNCIMAN,) Dews buryNo deductions were made in the annual grant payable in respect of the year 1906–7 to the Monmouth local education authority on account of their failure to provide a staff satisfying the minimum requirements of the Code. In twelve cases the Small Population Grant, for which a higher minimum staff is required, was refused or reduced. The grant for the Llangibby School for the year 1907–8 has not yet been paid. The preparation of a Return, such as that to which the noble Lord refers, would involve considerable labour, and I do not think the results would be commensurate with the cost incurred. The total number of cases in which the annual grant has been reduced in respect of schools in the area of each local education authority can be ascertained from Table 19 in the Statistical Volume published by the Board. The number in Wales (including both Council and Voluntary Schools) was thirty-three in the year 1905–6 and eleven in the year 1906–7.