§ 80. Mr. HAYDN JONESasked the President of the Board of Education whether he will state the number of local education authorities which received increased grants in highly rated areas under Article 6 (ii) of the Regulations for Substantive Grant for Public Elementary Schools during the year 1019–20, and the aggregate amount of such grants; the estimated number of local education authorities which would have received such grants in 1920–21 if the prescribed 2029 amount remained at 27d., and the estimated aggregate amount of such grants; and the estimated number of local education authorities which will receive such grants, and the estimated aggregate sum thereof when the prescribed amount has been fixed at 48d.?
§ Mr. FISHERWith the hon. Member's permission I will circulate the reply, which is somewhat lengthy, in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ The following is the reply referred to:
§ The amount of Substantive Grant, including the sum payable under Article C (ii) of the Regulations, in respect of the year 1919–20, cannot be determined until particulars of the; expenditure, etc., upon which the grant depends have been furnished to the Board. Those particulars will, of course, not be available till after the end of the year; in the meantime, payment of instalments on account of the total sum payable is being made during the year. But upon the estimates of their expenditure made by the Local Education Authorities for the current year, between 30 and 40 authorities would appear to be entitled to increased grant under Article 6, amounting in the total to about £200,000.
§ It is impossible to estimate the number of authorities which would receive grants in respect of the year 1920–21 if the prescribed amount remained at 27d., or the number of authorities that will receive increased grant in respect of the year 1920–21 when the prescribed amount is 48d., as the Board have no information as to the expenditure of the Local Education Authorities in that year. It is, however, evident that a general rise in the rates is inevitable next year. In order that the benefite of the additional grant may be confined, as is the intention of the Article, to exceptional areas, and that the Treasury may not be committed to indefinite expenditure on unknown facts, it has been considered necessary to raise the prescribed amount substantially.