§ 55. Mr. W. SHAWasked the Secretary for Scotland if he is aware that the Scottish Educational Department refuses to credit to the late school boards the grants earned by them, and which had not previously been payable before the 15th May; if he is aware that, as a result of this, the ratepayers in the parishes affected will have a serious deficiency to make good; and if he will take steps to see that all the grants earned by the respective school boards are credited to the parishes concerned?
§ The SECRETARY for SCOTLAND (Mr. Munro)Every school board within the financial year ended 15th May, 1919, received the full amount of the grants norm ally payable to them in respect of any of their schools in that year. They have no claim to the payment of any further grant within that year. Section 44 of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1872, requires them to make good any deficit in the school fund, from whatever cause arising, by levying a local rate upon the relative parish or burgh. This, I believe, the great majority of school boards have in fact done. The conditions in this regard of the financial year 1918–19 differ in no respect from those of previous years. In lieu of the grants which under the old conditions would have been payable to school boards after the 15th May, grants of equivalent or greater amount will be paid to the new authorities for the benefit not of the rate payers of former school board districts individually, but in relief of the education rate of the whole education area as provided for by Section 13 of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1918. No other course is possible, in view of the terms of that Act.