§ 19. Mr. Manderasked the President of the Board of Education if he will consider the advisability of publishing, for the information of hon. Members, examples of the agreed syllabus for religious education.
§ The President of the Board of Education (Mr. Butler)The existing examples of agreed syllabuses of religious instruction are issued by local education authorities and are not submitted to the Board who, under the present law, do not inspect or supervise religious instruction. I am afraid, therefore, that I am unable to do as the hon. Member suggests, but I will obtain copies of some of the existing syllabuses and place them in the Library for the information of hon. Members.
§ Mr. ManderWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for his reply, may I ask whether he will consider the possibility of publishing some of them in the form of a White Paper?
§ Mr. ButlerThey are already available in printed form, and I suggest that if I place copies in the Library, hon. Members may obtain copies of their own agreed syllabus from their own areas.
§ Mr. Quintin HoggIn view of the rather wild statements sometimes appearing in print about this, would it not be in the interest of the public to make a more general publication?
§ Mr. ButlerThe more the agreed syllabuses are known, the more widely they will be approved, and any steps which I can take I will do.