§ Mr. R. RICHARDSONasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware of the great dearth of school places now existing, both elementary and secondary, and that many places now used are totally unfitted for educational purposes; and does ho propose to take steps to at once have this matter remedied?
Mr. WOODAs regards elementary schools there is, owing to movements of population and difficulties of building, insufficiency of accommodation in some localities, but to some extent the fall in the school population has relieved the pressure on accommodation. There are still considerable arrears of work required to restore or maintain that standard of sufficiency and suitability which is a condition of efficient instruction. I am fully alive to the importance of the matter, and, subject to overriding necessities of national finance, am ready to give favourable consideration to well-considered proposals for remedying serious deficiencies. As regards secondary schools. I do not think there is serious ground of complaint in respect of the unsuitability of the* accommodation as distinguished from its insufficiency, on which the hon. Member has another question on the Papers.
§ Mr. RICHARDSONasked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware of the large number of parents who have made applications for their children to be admitted to secondary schools and have been refused on the grounds of in- 1220W sufficient accommodation; and, seeing that such refusal means to these children that they never can have the advantages of such education, will he say what steps he proposes to take to remedy this evil?
Mr. WOODI greatly regret that the financial stringency has prevented a sufficient expansion of the supply of secondary school places to meet the increased demand, but I can assure the hon. Gentleman that so far as the funds which Parliament places at the Board's disposal permit, I shall give sympathetic consideration to reasonable proposals for general extension of the secondary school system.