HC Deb 05 May 1914 vol 62 cc160-1

In the event of a local education authority proving to the satisfaction of the Board of Education that the average attendance of mentally defective children at a certified class or school provided by such authority has during the previous three years been less than fifteen, it shall be lawful for such authority to discontinue the maintenance thereof, and thereupon the authority shall make such alternative provision for the mentally defective children belonging to their area as the Board of Education, after consultation with such authority, may approve.

Clause brought up, and read the first time.

Mr. PEASE

I beg to move "That the Clause be read a second time."

It is framed with a view to carrying out the wishes of the hon. Member for Wilton (Mr. C. Bathurst), who has a similar Amendment on the Paper. There are two or three small variations in his Clause which make it desirable that, it should appear in the form in which I have placed it upon the Paper. There is no opposition to it, and I simply move.

Mr. CHARLES BATHURST

The right hon. Gentleman has referred to the new Clause which stands on the Paper in my name. I am bound to say that, so far as I have read his Clause, it does not seem to meet the case which my Clause is intended to meet. The object of my Clause is to render it unnecessary for the local education authority to retain the machinery set up by this Bill in the event of their being less than fifteen children in attendance at the day school during the previous three years. Surely that point is not met by the new Clause which the right hon. Gentleman has just moved.

Mr. PEASE

Yes; I think it is. The words of the hon. Member's Clause would mean this, that upon any particular day, owing to a storm or stress of weather, the attendance at any time might fall below fifteen, and then there would be no justification for the school; but my Clause makes it quite clear that it has to be an average of less than fifteen during the previous three years, in order to justify the closing of the school.

Question put, and agreed to.

Clause read a second time, and added to the Bill.