§ 62. Mr. EDEasked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that Circular 1,244, giving the Board's rulings on the subject of the recognition of War service for the purpose of calculating correct salaries for secondary schoolteachers, was not issued until 28th January, 1922; and that his Department has recently been applying its rules to salaries paid by local education authorities during the period 1st September,1920, to 31st March, 1921; and whether, inasmuch as the authorities when they made the payments had no indication of what the Board's policy was on these matters of detail, he will be prepared to recognise all bona fide payments made up to the date of the circular as ranking for recognition in the calculation of grant?
§ Lord E. PERCYThe circular in question was issued at the earliest possible date—the 20th January, 1922. My right hon. Friend has, generally speaking, no authority to recognise for the calculation of grant expenditure in excess of the limits laid down in that circular at whatever date it may have been incurred. He is, of course, prepared to consider any cases in which it may appear that the terms of the circular have been wrongly applied.
§ Mr. EDEDoes the Noble Lord realise that the answer given and the practice that it represents makes it almost impossible to carry on local government when his Board attempt to apply circulars retrospectively to expenditure now nearly three years old?
§ Lord E. PERCYNo, I am not aware of anything of the kind. I have been through the cases that occurred in the hon. Member's area, and I should like to emphasise the answer to the question that my right hon. Friend is prepared to consider any cases where this circular may have been wrongly applied.