§ Sir GEORGE WHITEasked whether, in the case of an application for the use of a non-provided school for an evening meeting, the whole body of managers are the proper authority to grant or refuse the application and not the foundation managers only?
§ Mr. TREVELYANThe Board of Education have no authority to interpret the law; but they have always held—and my right hon. Friend has no doubt that they have rightly held—that the responsibility for the due performance of all the duties of the managers of a voluntary public elementary school under the Education Acts must be shared by the whole body of managers, and that there can be no division of responsibility between different sections of that body. It may sometimes happen, however, that the managers' tenure of the school premises is such that they have not the absolute control of the premises at all hours of every day. In such cases it might be necessary to apply for permission to use the school premises at a particular time outside the school hours not to the 15 managers but to the owners of the premises, whether they are private owners or trustees.