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19 Clause 3, page 3, line 25, at end insert:
() Where proposals submitted under section 13 in conformity with the requirements of section 2 above include proposals to cease to maintain a voluntry school, the local education authority which has made such a proposal shall provide education at the school under the powers conferred upon them by section 6 of the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1953 for every pupil registered at that school on the day immediately preceding the day on which that proposal comes into effect until such pupils cease to he registered at that school.
§ The Commons disagreed to this Amendment for the following Reason:
§ 20 Because the Amendment involves a charge on public funds and the Commons do not offer any further Reason trusting that this Reason may be deemed sufficient.
§ Lord DONALDSON of KINGSBRIDGEMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth not insist on their Amendment No. 19 to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 20.
§ Moved, That this House doth not insist on the said Amendment to which the Commons have disagreed for their Reason numbered 20.—(Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge.)
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I am genuinely surprised that the Government have rejected this Amendment. I thought that my noble friend Lady Brooke of Ystradfellte made an unanswerable case when she spoke on this Amendment at the Committee stage. Your Lordships may remember she spoke of being the chairman of the governors of a voluntary aided school subject to a cease-to-maintain order. The maintaining authorities, the Inner London Education Authority and one other authority, were prepared to see pupils through, but four other local education authorities with pupils at the school were going to cease to pay for those pupils after next September. As I listened to the noble Baroness on that occasion I thought that that really is not good enough, and it is the sort of situation that this Amendment would prevent. The Amendment would protect the education of a very small number of pupils attending a voluntary school which an authority ceases to maintain, and to that extent this Amendment would be a minimal charge on public funds. I would have hoped that the Government could accept an Amendment which deals only with the education and welfare of boys and girls. Although, with regard to voting, I am not going to disagree with the Government in their view on this, I am disappointed that the Government could not have found it in their hearts to accept this Amendment.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.