§ Major PRESCOTTasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the draft of the Regulations 1693W proposed to be made by the Board of Education with regard to the payment of local education authorities of substantive grant in respect of elementary education for the year 1920–21 will entail an addition of 10½d. in the £ to the education rate in Tottenham, making the total 6s. 6d. and adding the sum of £23,500 to the local committee's precept; that this committee have recently raised very considerably the salaries of their teachers and are desirous of bringing about other improvements in their educational system which the Board desire, in the exercise of the powers conferred upon them by the Education Act of 1918, and that this cannot be done if they are obliged to impose a rate so high as to arouse in the district opposition to plans which would involve a still higher rate; and if he will take action to have the draft Regulations amended with a view to restoring the old limit of 27d. to the education authorities in necessitous areas?
§ Mr. FISHERI have seen a newspaper report to the effect stated in the first part of the question, but I have not at present received from Tottenham their estimates of education expenditure for the year 1920–21. I am aware that the authority have adopted a scale of salaries for elementary teachers substantially higher than the scale of any other authority. On the general question which I discussed yesterday with a deputation, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply which I gave on the 9th March to the hon. Member for Carnarvonshire (Major Breese). I see no prospect of being able to revert to the old limit of 27 pence.
§ Major PRESCOTTasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the practice of the Board, in basing instalments of grant payable to highly-rated areas during a year on the expenditure of the preceding year, acts unfairly at a time when expenditure is increasing; that at Tottenham the Committee's new scale of salaries came into force on the 1st April, and that the whole cost of the increase during the year must be borne by the rates; and if he will give further consideration to the possibility of paying grants upon the estimated expenditure for the year, with a sufficient margin left for final adjustment of the payment after the accounts have been completed?
1694W
§ Mr. FISHERIn my opinion a case for the suggested alteration of the present grant system has not yet been made out. On the general question I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer given on the 25th February by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the hon. Member for Kingswinford (Mr. Sitch).