§ 38. Mr. Viantasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the Architects' Registration Council possessed over £ 3,000 earmarked for scholarship funds in June, 1934, when application was made to Parliament for relief of the obligation, and that the passing of the Architects' Registration Act, 1934, deprived children of the opportunity to secure scholarships in architecture; and whether he will give the House details of how the sums diverted from their original purpose were expended?
§ Sir S. HoareThe Act of 1931 made no provision for the expenditure involved in setting up the registration system before any revenue from registration fees became available. To remedy this omission Parliament by the Act of 1934 authorised the postponement for two years of the requirement that half the fees shall be devoted to the provision of scholarships. Consequently the money becomes available to enable the Council to meet its expenses and liabilities. I have no responsibility for the Council's expenditure, and cannot undertake to give information about its accounts.
§ 39. Mr. Viantasked the Home Secretary whether he can give any explanation of the fact that, out of the scholarship fund of 1935 under the Architects Registration Act, 1931, £308 10s. was charged to administrative expenses and only £156 10s. to actual scholarships, and that in 1936 £550 was taken from the scholarship fund for administrative expenses and only £530 used for actual scholarships; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent this frustration of the intention of Parliament that at least half the total amount of the fees received in each calendar year under the Act of 1934 should be devoted to the provision of scholarships and maintenance grants?
§ Sir S. HoareThe Architects Registration Council, which is a professional body to which Parliament, by the Act of 1931, entrusted certain powers and duties, is not answerable to me for its proceedings, but I am informed that the Council has adopted the plan of forming a reserve fund for scholarships, and that the figures quoted by the hon. Member ignore the amounts placed to this reserve.
§ 43. Mr. McEnteeasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the scholarships awarded under the Architects Registration Act have in the main been given to persons over 17 years of age; and whether he will take steps to see that in future awards are given to assist children of school-leaving age to enter the architectural profession?
§ Sir S. HoareThe Act of 1931 provided for the appointment of a representative body as a Board of Architectural Education, and the question at what age young persons can best derive advantage from the training made available through these scholarships is one for this body, which includes representatives of the teaching profession and the universities and the schools of architecture throughout the country.