§ Mr. EUGENE WASONasked the Home Secretary whether he is now in a position to state whether it is intended to have the Fife Mining School, at Cowdenbeath, scheduled as an examination centre under the Coal Mines Act of last Session?
§ Mr. McKENNAOn the recommendation of the Scotch Education Department, I have decided to entrust the work of examination of firemen in Scotland to the two Central Technical Institutions recognised by that Department, the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, and the Royal Technical College, Glasgow. The Scotch Education Department represented to me that it would be inadvisable on education grounds, as tending to weaken the present statutory scheme of affiliation, to recognise the local education authorities as separate and independent authorities for holding examinations under Section 15 of the Coal Mines Act. The arrangement made will have the advantage of securing the maintenance of a uniform standard of examination, while it will not interfere with the work of instruction of firmen carried on at Cowdenbeath, or any other local centre, nor will it cause any inconvenience to candidates, as arrangements will be made for holding examinations in convenient local centres in the mining districts, of which Cowdenbeath will be one.
§ Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that this has caused great dissatisfaction and discouragement in the county of Fife?
§ Mr. McKENNAI have had no representations to that effect.