§ 44. Mr. TREVELYANasked the President of the Board of Education whether he has received a resolution, passed unanimously on 19th February by the authorities' panel of the Burnham Standing Joint Committee, reminding him that the participation of the local authorities in the Burnham award was expressly conditional upon no alteration being made in the present grant system to the prejudice of the authorities; and whether he pro poses to give the definite assurance asked for in the resolution that the grant system will not be altered to the prejudice of the local education authorities?
§ Lord E. PERCYI have received the resolution referred to. I appreciate the conditional nature of the agreement upon which the Burnham scales are based and the maintenance of those scales is a prime object of my policy, as is shown by the Regulation which I have recently issued. I do not think I can usefully say more at this moment, but the matter will, of course, not be overlooked in the discus- 1604 sions which are now taking place with local authorities in regard to the grant system.