§ Sir E. Bullusasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how he calculates the figure of £800 as the cost of keeping each young delinquent for one year in an approved school; and what steps he is taking to arrest the rising cost of such treatment.
§ Miss BaconThe average annual cost is calculated by dividing the total cost of providing and running the schools, including capital expenditure, by the number of children in them. Salaries and capital works make up nearly 70 per cent. of the total, and the rising cost is mainly due to increased salaries and works on expansion and modernisation. A close control of expenditure is exercised and no more is approved than is necessary to ensure the efficient management of the schools and the well-being of the children.