§ 25. Mr. LONGBOTTOMasked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that the Halifax Education Committee have made an application to his Department for approval to the erection of manual and cookery instruction rooms, and a swimming bath, on land owned by the Halifax Education Committee adjoining the Salteshebble council school; whether his Department have given approval; and, if not, the reason?
§ Lord E. PERCYThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second in the negative. With regard to the manual and cookery instruction rooms, it is not clear whether they could most suitably be provided in connection with this particular school rather than another school, and I have accordingly asked the authority to suspend their proposal until they are in a position to formulate their reorganisation scheme. With regard to the swimming-bath, I should not feel justified in approving for grant an expenditure estimated at between £9,000 and £10,000 on this provision.
§ Mr. LONGBOTTOMMay I ask the Minister whether, when considering the importance of putting down manual and cookery instruction rooms in elementary schools, he will send some representative of his Department to view the site and ascertain the demand in the area before he arrives at a definite decision? Secondly, as far as the construction of the swimming bath is concerned, may I ask the Noble Lord, when he is considering the report that has been submitted to him by the chief medical officer—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech!"]
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must remember that we have many other Questions on the Paper besides his, and, if all supplementary questions were of the same length, we should never get on.
§ Mr. LONGBOTTOMI submit that this is an important matter, and it has been dealt with by the Board of Education in a very casual way. This is the only way in which we can raise the matter in the House.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThere are 103 Questions on the Order Paper, to which every hon. Member attaches equal importance. I cannot distinguish between the importance of one Question and another.
§ Mr. LONGBOTTOMMay I respectfully point out to you that, although there may be 103 Questions on the Order Paper which are important, it does not necessarily follow that those whose Questions come first have not the right to have their Questions answered in a satisfactory way?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member has not been a Member of the House very long, but he will see that if we took up as much time on each Question we should never get through those on the Paper.
§ Mr. LONGBOTTOMI am quite aware that I have not been long in the House, but I still claim that I have a right to a proper answer to a Question—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech!"]—and, with your consent and approval, I must ask for an answer from the Noble Lord as to whether he will send down a representative of his Department to view this spot or give an undertaking that he will not come to a definite conclusion until—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech!"]
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must really not take advantage of the latitude given him. I have given him a great deal more latitude than I should have given to older Members of the House.
§ Mr. LONGBOTTOMI do not want to take advantage of any latitude that has been given to me, but I want to ask the Noble Lord if he can give an undertaking that he will not come to a definite conclusion until he has considered the local circumstances?
§ Lord E. PERCYThe hon. Member has not heard the answer which I gave. I have not come to any final decision, and I cannot come to any final decision until the local education authority gets on with its scheme of reorganisation. It is 530 the local education authority which is to blame, not myself.
§ Mr. LONGBOTTOMrose—
§ Mr. LONGBOTTOMOn a point of Order. The question of reorganisation has nothing to do with the production of this scheme.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is not a point of Order.