§ Mr. SAMUEL SAMUELasked the President of the Board of Education whether it is his intention to adopt the recommendations of the Report of the Departmental Committee on Scholarships and Free Places in Secondary Schools [Cmd. 968], whereby it is proposed to abolish the fees now paid by the parents of pupils attending such schools, estimated at 2,000,000 sterling annually, which will have to be made good by the taxpayers; whether, having regard to the heavy burdens placed on the ratepayers and taxpayers, it is the intention of the Board of Education to adopt the Committee's recommendations for increasing the provision of secondary schools for at least 20 school places for each thousand of the population, which would mean providing accommodation for at least 720,000 pupils in England and Wales and giving maintenance grants, where necessary, to pupils from the age of 14; and whether he has considered the dissenting note, added by Sir Mark Collett, baronet, a member of the Committee, in which it is computed that the loss to the taxpayers which would be incurred by increasing the number of pupils and remitting their fees to the extent advised in the Report would be hardly less than £7,600,000?
Mr. LEWISThe recommendations of the Report are still under consideration, and I am not in a position to make any statement on the subject. On the financial aspect of the matter I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Education to the hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Mr. Bennett) on 28th October.