HC Deb 17 August 1911 vol 29 cc2101-2
Mr. CHARLES BATHURST

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the difficulty which is being experienced in many parts of the country in obtaining land adjacent to public elementary schools for the purposes of school gardens and manual instruction, he will consider the advisability of including the consideration of this problem in the terms of reference to the Departmental Committee recently appointed to consider the provision and extension of playground accommodation for such schools?

The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. Herbert Lewis, for Mr. Runciman)

I am anxious that the Inquiry of the Departmental Committee on School Playgrounds should be as short and businesslike as possible, and that their report on a matter of great practical importance to local education authorities and managers of schools should not be delayed. I am, therefore, very reluctant to widen the terms of reference so as to include anything which is not strictly connected with the specific problem referred to the Committee. I am very greatly interested in the development of school gardens and manual instruction, and shall feel obliged if the hon. Member will inform me of any cases within his knowledge in which the efforts of local education authorities to develop either of these branches of instruction have been frustrated by the difficulty to which the hon. Member refers.

Mr. C. BATHURST

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in many cases the school gardens are part of the playgrounds, and therefore it is difficult to keep the two problems distinct.

Mr. HERBERT LEWIS

I will communicate with my right hon. Friend.

Mr. KING

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the difficulty of getting land for educational purposes is not confined only to the country districts, but that there is an urban difficulty also?

Mr. HERBERT LEWIS

I am aware of the difficulty.