§ 14. Mr. KEIR HARDIEasked the President of the Board of Education whether he has had representations made to him by deputations from necessitous school areas to the effect that they consider the Government has not kept faith with them in not making good his promise to pay three-quarters of the education rate in excess of 1s. 6d. in the pound within those areas; and whether he has informed the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the educational interests of these poor districts must suffer if the necessary money for this purpose is not forthcoming?
Mr. PEASERepresentations have been made to me as to the difficulty in which necessitous areas are placed by the reduction in the amount received this year under the Regulations, but I am not aware that it has been suggested that the Government has broken its promise in the matter. The Regulations for the last five years have provided for a pro rata reduction of the claims of the various authorities in case the total Grant under them exceeded the fixed sum voted by Parliament. The whole subject is under the consideration of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and myself.
§ Mr. KEIR HARDIEMay I say I did not charge the Government with not keeping their promise, but with not having kept faith with the local authorities. May I ask whether they were led to expect that two-thirds of all the expenditure beyond the 1s. 6d. rate would be paid from the Exchequer?
Mr. PEASEI think in connection with the original Grant that proportion was agreed upon. Then a rearrangement was entered into by which an additional £150,000 was given to those authorities, and a large number which were included at that time were not included on the first occasion.