§ Mr. GEORGE ROBERTSasked the President of the Board of Education whether the Board propose to put into operation the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on playgrounds of public elementary schools; whether this 2151W would involve a restriction of playground space in infants' departments amounting to a reduction from thirty square feet per child to sixteen square feet; whether the Board propose to sanction the present arrangements in existing schools with insufficient playgrounds until the year 1925; and whether the proposed reduction of playground space has been reported upon by the chief medical officer of the Board from the point of view of the health of the young children who will be affected by the changes now proposed?
§ Mr. J. A. PEASEWith regard to the first parts of the question, the Board are carefully considering the recommendations of the Committee in connection with the revised edition of their Building Regulations, which will shortly be published. With regard to the third part of the question, the degree of insufficiency in each case will be taken into account, and I certainly do not contemplate general acquiescence in the present state of things for eleven years. With regard to the last part of the question, I have taken advice, both as regards the health of the children and other relevant matters, from the Board's staff and from other persons and bodies conversant with the question.