§ 27. Mr. William Rossasked the Secretary for Scotland what cost has been incurred in providing education in Scotland for Poles under Section 11 (4) of the Polish Resettlement Act, 1947; and how this compares with the cost of similar services for the Poles in England.
§ Mr. T. FraserA sum of £206,000 has been provided in the Scottish estimate for public education, 1947–48, for the education of Poles, as compared with a sum of £900,000 provided in the vote of the Ministry of Education for the corresponding service in England and Wales. Up to date £154,820 has been paid from the Scottish Vote in respect of education of Poles in Scotland. This sum represents 2/9ths of the corresponding expenditure in England and Wales.
§ Mr. RossIn view of those figures, is the Joint Under-Secretary satisfied that the departure from the old 11/80ths proportion does not mean that we are giving a more expensive education in Scotland, or are we bearing a disproportionate burden to the detriment of Scottish children?
§ Mr. FraserI do not think we are bearing a disproportionate burden. The position is that during the war, as the House well knows, we had a disproportionate number of Poles in Scotland. and 1624 as the Government undertook the responsibility of providing education for the members of the Polish Forces and their families, it followed that there would be a greater expenditure in Scotland than in England.