HL Deb 24 March 1937 vol 104 cc803-4

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Earl of Crawford.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly:

[The EARL OF ONSLOW in the Chair.]

Clause 1:

Amendment of 11 & 12 Geo. 5. c. 51.

1. The fact of a child who is under seven years of age being deaf shall not of itself be a reasonable excuse for not causing the child to attend school.

THE EARL OF LUCAN moved to add the following words to the clause: "or for neglecting to provide efficient elementary instruction for the child; and accordingly in subsection (2) of Section fifty-one of the Education Act, 1921 (hereinafter referred to as 'the principal Act') the words '(except in the case of a deaf child under seven years of age)' are hereby repealed." The noble Earl said: On behalf of my noble friend Earl De La Warr, who has been called away, I beg to move the first Amendment standing in his name. Perhaps it will be convenient to your Lordships if I say a word now on all the Amendments on the Paper. At the present time a parent has two duties under the law. The first is to see that his children attend school, and the second is to see that his children receive efficient elementary education. The Bill as it is drafted only refers to the first of these two duties, and therefore the Board of Education has drafted these Amendments in order that the Bill shall cover also the second duty in the case of children in regard to whom the age for school attendance is being changed from seven years to five years. I think the noble Earl in charge of the Bill understands the position. I therefore move the first Amendment.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 8, at end insert the said words.—(The Earl of Lucan.)

THE EARL OF CRAWFORD

I hope the Committee will accept this Amendment.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 2:

Short title, construction, commencement and extent.

2.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Deaf Children (School Attendance) Act, 1937, and shall be construed as one with the Education Acts, 1921 to 1936, and this Act and those Acts may be cited together as the Education Acts, 1921 to 1937.

THE EARL OF LUCAN

There is a consequential Amendment to this clause. I beg to move.

Amendment moved—

Page 1, line 9, leave out from ("the") to ("may") in line 12 and insert ("Education (Deaf Children) Act, 1937, and shall be construed as one with the principal Act and this Act and the Education Acts, 1921 to 1936").—(The Earl of Lucan.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.

Title: An Act to lower the age of compulsory school attendance in the case of deaf children from seven years to five years.

THE EARL OF LUCAN moved, in the Title, to leave out all words after "age" and insert "at which the period of compulsory education begins in the case of deaf children." The noble Earl said: This Amendment will alter the Title so that it will be wide enough to cover the whole of Clause 1 as amended.

Amendment moved— Leave out from ("age") to the end of the Title and insert ("at which the period of compulsory education begins in the case of deaf children").—(The Earl of Lucan.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Title, as amended, agreed to.