§ 69. Mr. CADOGANasked the President of the Board of Education what amount in his estimate of £3,750,000 as the cost of maintenance allowances in the 1034 first full year is attributable to pupils between 14 and 15 attending schools other than public elementary schools?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI have not given a separate estimate of the cost of maintenance allowances in respect of the pupils referred to, but I should not expect the additional expenditure to exceed about £125,000.
§ 70. Mr. CADOGANasked the President of the Board of Education how many, or what proportion of, children between the ages of 14 or 15 in public elementary schools he estimated will be excluded from receiving maintenance allowances by the proposed income limits?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI have based my estimate on the assumption that approximately 25 per cent. of the children will be excluded from receiving maintenance allowances.
71. Duchess of ATHOLLasked the President of the Board of Education what is the average maintenance allowance at present given to pupils attending secondary schools between the ages of 14 and 15?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANThe average maintenance allowance at present given to pupils attending secondary schools of all ages up to 16 is £6 13s. It is not possible to give separate figures for the pupils between the ages of 14 and 15.
§ 73 and 74. Mr. CAMPBELLasked the President of the Board of Education (1) whether it will be the duty of the local education authority to exercise its power of reducing the maintenance allowance of children who fail to attend school; and whether the payment of grant in respect of the local education authority's expenditure will be conditional upon the proper exercise of such power;
(2) whether a local education authority will be entitled to make inquiries as to the correctness of the statements made in the form of application for maintenance allowances; whether it will be the local education authority's duty to do so; and whether a grant will be paid in respect of the local education authority's expenditure on such allowances if it makes no such inquiries?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANIt will be the duty of the local education authority to 1035 use proper discretion both in exercising the power of reducing the maintenance allowances in respect of absence from school and in deciding when to make inquiries as to the correctness of statements made in the forms of application. Indiscriminate expenditure will be liable to be refused recognition for the percentage grant from the Board of Education.
§ 81. Mr. TURTONasked the President of the Board of Education whether the has now any information with regard to the existence of maintenance grants in respect of elementary schools in other countries; and if he will state what is the nature of such maintenance grants?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI have no information as to maintenance allowances in respect of elementary schools in other countries.