§ 32. Mr. Tomneyasked the Minister of Education why permission has been refused for the use of vacant class rooms at the Roman Catholic Primary School, Our Lady of Victory, for the education of Roman Catholic children from Hammersmith.
§ Sir D. EcclesThis school has no accommodation of its own, and could only expand if the local education authority provided it with additional rooms under Section 109 of the Education Act, 1944. The local education authority has discussed the suggestion with representatives of the Roman Catholic diocese 608 concerned, but in view of various objections both parties have agreed not to proceed with it.
§ Mr. TomneyIs not the Minister aware that the problem of Catholic education in Catholic schools in Hammersmith and West London is daily growing more acute, in part due to immigration, and that the provision of these class rooms would alleviate the problem to some extent? I understand that at one time permission was given for their use and later withdrawn. This is difficult to understand, as the Catholic authorities were prepared to pay the cost of providing transport for these children from Hammersmith to this school.
§ Sir D. EcclesAs the Roman Catholic authorities concerned have agreed with this, I think that we had better leave it there, but the hon. Gentleman is right that the problem of sites for Catholic schools in North Hammersmith is very difficult.