HC Deb 05 April 1928 vol 215 cc2150-1W
Sir R. THOMAS

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that 71 elementary schools in Wales, accommodating an aggregate of 16,890 pupils, have been condemned as insanitary; and what action does he propose to take to provide alternative accommodation within reasonable distance of the children's homes?

Lord E. PERCY

I am aware that there are at present 71 elementary schools in Wales in category A of the Black List. This does not, however, mean that all these schools are "insanitary" or that they have been "condemned." The Board are in constant communication with the local authorities and, in the case of voluntary schools, the school managers, in regard to individual cases, and, while the rate at which the schools can be replaced is conditioned by the particular circumstances of the individual areas concerned, I think that, generally speaking, reasonable progress is being maintained.