§ It shall be the duty of an education authority to establish an advisory council, consisting of persons qualified to represent the views of bodies interested in education, for the purpose of advising the authority on matters referred to the advisory council by the authority, and the authority shall take into consideration any advice or representation submitted to them by the advisory council.
§ Mr. MUNROI beg to move to leave out the words "an education authority," and to insert instead thereof the words "every education authority within three months after the first election thereof."
This Amendment would give effect to the promise which I made in Committee to the effect that I would consider whether words could be inserted on the Report stage requiring the education authority to appoint a local advisory committee not later than a certain specified date. The only question was, what that date should be. The proposal in this Amendment is that the education authority should, within three months from the first election of the authority, set up that council. I think that is an ample space of time to admit of that authority being set up. I would further like to point out that it is exceedingly desirable that the local advisory committee should be set up at the earliest possible moment, because it will be of great use to the education authority, for example, in the matter of drafting schemes under Clause 7, which are to be submitted to the Department, and which must be submitted to the Department within twelve months of the setting up of the education authority. In these circumstances, without further delay, I beg to move the Amendment standing in my name.
§ Amendment agreed to.