§ 10. Mr. HARRISasked the President of the Board of Education if there is any standard of certification for mental deficiency governing the admission of children to schools for mental defectives; if so, what is the standard; have any instructions been issued to local education authorities by the Board on this subject; if so, what is the nature of such instructions; has there been during recent years any variation in the standards used by the school medical officers of the local education authorities or advice by the Board's medical officer; and have the Board issued any memoranda, or are there any reports available, which would inform local education authorities as to the Board's views and policy with regard to mentally defective children?
§ Lord E. PERCYAs regards the first two parts of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to Section 55 (1) of the Education Act, 1921, and, as regards the last part, to the Annual Reports of the Board's chief medical officer, particularly to Section VII of the Report for 1925. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of Circular 1359 of the 23rd April, 1925, together with the form of report referred to therein, which relates to the question of uniformity of examination. The Board have not made any alterations in the advice given by them to local authorities, nor are they aware 549 that there has been any variation in the standards adopted by the authorities' medical officers.