§ Mr. MONTAGUasked the President of the Board of Education if he has received a statement of the cost to the ratepayers of Cambridgeshire caused by circular 709; and whether, having regard to the high standard of the schools in this area, he will modify his demands?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI have received through the hon. Member himself a statement of the estimated cost in this area, and I am referring the details to His Majesty's Inspector for examination. I have, however, ascertained that in a considerable number of cases the standard of staffing recognised by the local education authority themselves as desirable and embodied in their staffing scale is not in fact maintained. In those schools the improvements which the circular contemplates would, in any case, be necessary to satisfy the authority's own scale, and the cost of these improvements is, therefore, not fairly attributable to the new regulations.