HC Deb 11 December 1922 vol 159 cc2381-3W
Mr. G. HALL

asked the President of the Board of Education the total amount of money spent in England and Wales from the year 1908 to the year 1922, inclusive, for the building and repairing of elementary schools; and will he give the figures separately for each year and the totals for England and Wales separately?

Mr. WOOD

Expenditure by local education authorities upon the building of elementary schools is, as a rule, defrayed from loans. The sums expended out of loans by local education authorities for elementary education in England and Wales are as follows:

… … England. Wales.
… … £ £
1908–9 … … 1,883,540 226,486
1909–10 … … 2,061,505 241,875
1910–11 … … 1,989,271 309,683
1911–12 … … 1,672,849 289,698
1912–13 … … 2,025,907 263,687
1918–19 … … 76,239 8,994
1919–20 … … 275,714 22,986
1920–21 … … 745,345 98,404
Owing to the suspension during the War of the collection of statistics, the figures for the years 1913 to 1918 cannot be given; and for 1921–22 the returns from local education authorities are not complete. I regret that the figures for repairs of school building which form part of the cost of the general upkeep of the schools cannot be given separately. I have no material for answering the question as regards expenditure on the buildings of voluntary schools.

Mr. HALL

further asked the President of the Board of Education the number of buildings, other than schools erected for the purpose, that are being used for elementary education, and the number of children being educated in such buildings; and if he will give the figures separately for England and Wales?

Mr. WOOD

I regret that I have no such information, and fear it would be impossible to obtain it without a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour.

Mr. WISE

asked the President of the Board of Education what local education authorities are at present expending on elementary education more than £15 per child in average attendance; under what main heads that expenditure is incurred; whether an expenditure in excess of that amount is consistent with due economy of public funds; and whether, if a limit is placed on the total expenditure which can be recognised for grant, he can arrange for any consequent disallowance of expenditure to first fall on the authorities whose expenditure exceeds £15?