Mr. T. THOMSONasked the President of the Board of Education on what basis will reductions be made on grants to local education authorities in cases where it is necessary to do so in order to comply with the provision specified in the last paragraph of Section 3 of the Draft Statutory Rules and Orders governing regulations for substantive grant for the financial year 1922–23, and where the local authority has kept every item of its expenditure within the various limits and complied with all the regulations already prescribed by the board?
§ Mr. FISHERI am to-day giving a written answer to the hon. Member for the Central Division of Bristol, which will show the position as disclosed by a summary of the local education authorities' preliminary estimates for 1922–23. Even if the total expenditure of local education authorities falls within the limits laid down in paragraph 4 of Command Paper 1638, the Board, of course, reserve their power to refuse to recognise expenditure which appears to them on merits to be improper or extravagant.