§ Mr. JOHN ROBERTSONasked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the case of an infant, Lilly Mann, who, through her father, at Leeds county court on 12th March, claimed £9 6s. for serious injuries caused, at St. Stephen's Church school, Burmantofts, by her teacher boxing her ears; whether he is aware that the county court judge decided against the plaintiff on the ground that the recent case of Mansell v. Griffin laid down that a certificated teacher had the right to do that which a parent had the right to do; whether the decisions cited have the effect of making nugatory the corporal punishment regulations of many large local education authorities, which forbid the boxing of children's ears and striking on the head of any kind, and restrict the infliction of corporal punishment to head teachers only, in accordance with the powers vested in them by the Board of Education; and, if so, whether he will take the earliest opportunity to introduce such an alteration of the law as will prohibit all teachers from striking children on the head in any manner whatsoever, and make it a penal offence to inflict irregular punishments which are beyond the limitations set out in a communication from the Board of Education, dated 4th May, 1904, that corporal punishment should be in no case inflicted on girls or infants, and that it should be administered by the head teachers only?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe decision referred to does not affect in any way the power of a local authority to prescribe and enforce regulations as to the infliction of corporal punishment by the teachers in its employment. No alteration in the law appears to be necessary.