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*LORD HARLECH moved:—
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying her to withhold her consent from the Scheme for the management of the Deytheur Grammar School, in the Parish of Llansaintffraid, Montgomeryshire.
He said, that the case which he had to bring before their Lordships that evening was a very simple one, and might be explained in a very few words. The school in question was one of the oldest Endowed Schools, it having been founded upwards of 200 years ago. When the Welsh Intermediate Education Act was
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passed, it was sought to place this school under that Act, and negotiations were entered into between the Montgomeryshire County Council and the trustees of the school; and, assisted by the Charity Commissioners, a Scheme was framed, concessions being made on both sides. The next step was that the Charity Commissioners passed on the Scheme to the Education Department; and there, by some oversight, the time was allowed to elapse in which the Scheme should have been acted upon. There was a material point in reference to money, it having been agreed that £90 should be paid by the County Council in support of the Scheme. Without that £90 nothing could be done; and, as he had said, the specified time was allowed to pass without the Education Department signifying their approval of the Scheme. The consequence was that the £90 was lost to the Scheme; and, as it was impossible to carry on the rest of the Scheme without that £90, he was compelled to apply to their Lordships to nullify the Scheme; and he hoped that later on they would be in a position to frame a fresh Scheme for this school, which would then be laid before the Privy Council with a view to its being passed into law. He asked their Lordships to assent to the Motion he now made. ["Hear, hear!"]
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (The DUKE of DEVONSHIRE)said, that he believed the case had been stated by the noble Lord with complete accuracy. The Montgomeryshire County Council Scheme to which the noble Lord had referred provided that, if within two years a Scheme was established under the Welsh Act for this school, that Council would pay £90 annually towards its support. From various causes, the Scheme was not approved by the Education Department in time for this provision to come into force; and, as far as he could ascertain, the Scheme as it now stood was not acceptable to anyone concerned. The local authorities—the County Council and others interested in the Scheme—the Charity Commissioners, and the Education Department were agreed that, under the circumstances, there was nothing to be done but to reject the Scheme; and a new arrangement would have to be made between the county authorities and the trustees 4 of the school. He therefore offered no opposition to the Motion of the noble Lord. ["Hear, hear!"]
Motion agreed to. Ordered, That the said Address be presented to Her Majesty by the Lords with White Staves.