§ 72. Mr. LOUGHasked the President of the Board of Education how many local education authorities have been created or abolished since the Act of 1902 was passed and what is the present number; how many of these bodies in each class he considers to be inefficient; and whether he intends to lay before this House proposals for reducing the number of local 536 authorities and amalgamating or otherwise dealing with those that are not efficient?
§ Mr. LEWISThe present number of local education authorities in England and Wales is 319. Since the Act of 1902 was passed eight new authorities for the purposes of Part III. have been created and fifteen for the purposes of Part II.; ten authorities for the purposes of Part III. have relinquished their powers; and thirteen authorities for the purposes of Part III. and two authorities for the purposes of Part II. have been incorporated in other areas. The Board have no power to declare a local education authority to be inefficient, and I am not prepared to express any opinion on this point. As regards the last part of the question, I do not think I should be asked to anticipate the statement which my right hon. Friend hopes to make when he lays his proposals for legislation before the House.