§ 31. Mr. SCURRasked the President of the Board of Education how many local 572 authorities in England have applied, under Article 9 (a) of the Board's Regulations, for sanction to abolish school fees in their secondary schools; how many such applications have been sanctioned; how many authorities have in fact abolished fees; what effect the abolition has had on the secondary school population in such areas; and what steps the Board is contemplating to encourage and assist local authorities to arrest the decline in the number of children receiving secondary education in this country?
§ Mr. TREVELYANIn England proposals have been received for the abolition of fees in one school in Oldham and one in Smethwick, also for no fees to be charged in a new school to be opened in Manchester and another in Smethwick. All these proposals have been approved. Including the areas just named, fees have now been abolished in some schools in eight areas. The provision of free secondary education has hardly yet reached the stage when any confident generalisation can be made as to its effects, but I have no reason to anticipate that they will be other than beneficial. I have already announced, both in this House and outside, my desire to see an increase in the provision of free places awarded, and I believe that the announcements I have made have already had a stimulating effect.