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(2) (a) After providing for the payments mentioned in Sub-section (1) of Section sixteen of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1908, the balance of
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the Education (Scotland) Fund that may remain in any year shall be applied as nearly as may be in making Grants in aid of the expenditure of education authorities (or outgoing school boards and secondary education committees) and managers of schools in accordance with Minutes of the Department laid before Parliament:
Provided that no minute of the Department framed under this Section shall come into force until it has lain for not less than one month on the Table of both Houses of Parliament.
§ Mr. GULLANDI beg to move, in Subsection (2, a), to leave out the words "one month," and to insert instead thereof the words "two months."
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his kind acceptance of the last Amendment, and I assure him that my shoulders are broad enough to bear the responsibility of any possible failure This Amendment is a very small one. It is asked for by existing education authorities. The Clause provides that "no Minute framed under this Section shall come into force until it has lain for not less than one month on the Table of both Houses of Parliament," and my Amendment says "two months." I rather think that the existing system is three months, but at any rate the education authorities feel that these new Minutes ought to be considered by the new education authorities. Very often they are very complicated documents. This very Clause takes a good deal of reading before one understands it, I will not say that it takes one month to digest it, but I would remind the Secretary for Scotland that in a later part of the Bill it is enacted that the education authority shall meet at least once a month. I think he will agree that it is only right, especially in the early stages of the working of the Act, that an opportunity should be given to these education authorities to consider any Minutes laid upon the Table by the Department. It would be a great pity if these Minutes were rushed through without an opportunity being given to the education authorities to consider them. This Act will need a great deal of sympathetic consideration by the Department and the authorities, and in the circumstances it is a fair request to make that these Minutes shall rest upon the Table of the House for two months instead of one month before they come into operation.
§ Mr. MUNROI confess that I have not found my right hon. Friend quite so persuasive upon this occasion. He has not convinced me that there is any necessity for this Amendment. I agree that there 213 is not very much in it, and my only objection to accepting it is that it might involve considerable delay in getting out Minutes when it might be important that they should be promulgated at the earliest possible moment. Take the case of the teachers' salaries last year. The House will remember that a Minute setting apart £400,000 for that purpose was promulgated. It would have been both unnecessary and a pity if that Minute had been held up for two months instead of one month.
§ Mr. GULLANDIs the existing practice one month?
§ Mr. MUNROMy information is that the existing practice is one month. It has been found to be ample and has caused no inconvenience. I am afraid of inconvenience if I accept this Amendment. With that explanation, perhaps my right hon. Friend will be willing to withdraw the Amendment.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.