§ Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALDasked the President of the Board of Education whether he would ascertain and publish as a Parliamentary Return information showing, in respect to London schools, the number of children, with their ages, who have been refused admission, owing to the schools being full, since the summer holidays of last year?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI doubt whether this information is obtainable, and, in any case, I do not think the results would be worth the labour involved in compiling it. Where a child is refused admission owing to a school being full a place is usually found for him elsewhere. The Return which my hon. Friend asks for would not, therefore, afford any evidence as to the number of children, if any, for whom accommodation has not been found, nor would it be possible to avoid duplication in cases where parents have applied for admission to more than one school.
§ Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALDDoes the Department take care that the "elsewhere" is within a reasonable distance of the child's school?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANYes; that is what we usually aim at.