HC Deb 17 November 1938 vol 341 cc1053-4
63. Mr. Ede

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education how many schemes for the establishment of Church of England central schools under the Education Act, 1936, have been received by the Board; against how many have objections been lodged; how many public inquiries have been held; in how many cases after public inquiry has the scheme been sanctioned; in how many cases after public inquiry has the scheme been rejected; in how many cases after a scheme has been lodged has the scheme been approved without public inquiry; what is the total number of schemes sanctioned and rejected, respectively; and in how many cases is a decision outstanding?

Mr. Lindsay

As the answer is somewhat long and contains a number of figures, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Ede

Is the hon. Gentleman satisfied with the rate at which these schemes are now being submitted in view of the early date on which the school-leaving age is to be raised?

Mr. Lindsay

Not entirely, but we are pressing.

Following is the answer:

Notices under Section 18 of the Education Act, 1921, have been published in respect of 89 new Church of England senior schools and of 18 enlargements of existing Church of England schools for senior children proposed for aid under the Act of 1936. In some of these cases the three months statutory period of publication of the notices has not yet expired. Appeals have been lodged with the Board in 28 of these cases, and public inquiries have been held in seven of these disputed cases. In three of these seven cases in which public inquiries have been held the proposals have been sanctioned; in two the proposals have been disallowed; and in two no decision has yet been given. In 10 other cases in which appeals have been lodged with the Board the proposals have been allowed without public inquiries. The number of proposals so far sanctioned is 40; the number rejected 2; and the number in which a decision has not yet been given 65. In addition to these 107 proposals for which notices under Section 18 of the Education Act, 1921, have been published, there are 33 other cases known to the Board for which no notices have yet been published.