Mr. NEWDEGATEasked the President of the Board of Education whether, in consequence of the requirement of the Board of Education that local authorities shall provide a certain proportion of free places in secondary schools, the Government will, in view of the increasing burden of local rates, augment the Government Grants for this purpose?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Runciman)I think the hon. Member must have misread the history of this requirement. The requirement first appeared in the Regulations for the year 1907–8, and was itself one of the conditions of a considerable increase of grant. Schools which were on the Grant List in the year 1906–7 and preferred not to fulfil the requirement in question were at liberty to continue on the old footing, receiving the lower rate of grant.
Mr. NEWDEGATEasked whether he will give instructions that for the future, before alterations are made by the Board of Education in regulations concerning secondary schools, those persons directly concerned in the working of these schools shall be previously consulted by the Board, in order to do away with the inconvenience entailed by the Board's present system of issuing regulations without giving power to the different bodies affected to make proper representations to the central Government?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI do not undervalue the opinion of the local education authorities and other bodies concerned with the work of the secondary schools in the country, and I endeavour by all practicable means to keep in touch with that opinion, which is taken into account in the annual revision of the Regulations. The proposal of the hon. Member would, however, appear to involve the submission of the Board's Regulations in draft for the criticism of, at least, all county and county borough councils, numbering 137, and of the governing bodies of several hundred endowed secondary schools. The Board receive frequent requests that their Regulations may be issued earlier in the year. These requests I am endeavouring to comply with. The only result that I can foresee of the adoption by the Board of the policy advocated by the hon. Member would be that no Regulations would ever reach the point of issue. I am aware that some persons would regard this as a happy consummation, but the Board of Education, unfortunately, cannot so easily shake off their administrative responsibilities.
Mr. NEWDEGATEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware there is a strong feeling in certain parts of the country, and certainly in the county of Warwick, that all sorts of orders are sent out from the Board of Education without ever consulting the people, who, if I may so with respect, know more about the matters than the Board?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI did not think the people of Warwick had any complaint, but if the hon. Member gives me particulars of any specific complaint in the county I shall be glad to inquire into them.