§ Mr. SNOWDENasked the President of the Board of Education whether he would present to Parliament a Return of the annual expenditure and of the various sources of income of each of the secondary schools that are under the Charitable Trusts Act?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Runciman)The Board are now taking steps to standardise and collect accounts of schools and institutions providing education other than elementary, and are about to issue forms of accounts to the various schools for this purpose. By this means it is hoped to secure a uniform basis and a uniform period. When a sufficient time has elapsed to enable the returns for a uniform year to be made up and examined, I hope it will be possible to publish some statistics on the subject. Any return based on the information at present in the Board's possession would be extremely incomplete and misleading.
§ Mr. SNOWDENWill these returns be sent to the schools referred to in the question?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI cannot say that they will be sent to the whole of the schools under the Charitable Trusts Act. They will be sent to those schools which receive grants from the Board of Education.
§ Mr. SNOWDENWill the right hon. Gentleman take steps to get the information for which I ask?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANYes, I am taking steps, as far as I am able, to get the information.
§ Mr. SNOWDENasked the right hon. Gentleman whether he will present to Parliament the accounts of Eton and Winchester Schools?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe powers of the Board of Education to require the delivery of accounts by the trustees of educational charities arise under Sections 10 and 61 of the Charitable Trusts Act, 1853, and Sections 44 and 45 of the Charitable Trusts Amendment Act, 1855. Eton and Winchester are, by Section 49 of the Charitable Trusts Amendment Act, 1855, outside the jurisdiction of the Board under the Charitable Trusts Acts, and are also under Section 8 (1) of the Endowed Schools Act, 1869, exempt from the jurisdiction of the Board under the Endowed Schools Acts as being schools mentioned in Section 3 of the Public Schools Act, 1868.