§ Mr. MORGAN JONESasked the President of the Board of Education (1) if he can explain the reason why the defects in the Ramsgate non-provided elementary schools were not reported earlier by the inspector, seeing that his attention had repeatedly been called to them; whether the inspector was instructed at any time not to make any adverse report; and whether he will take steps to ensure that the work of inspection is efficiently carried out in future;
- (2) whether, in view of the Board's building regulation that no class room or main room can be recognised as accommodating such a number of children as requires two adult teachers unless it be divided by a partition to the ceiling, he will state what action he proposes to take to bring the seven school buildings in Ramsgate, reported upon, up to the Board's standard; and whether he will state the reason for making the Government grants in the past in spite of the violation of the regulation in question;
- (3) whether he has received any reply from the Ramsgate Education Committee to the letter from the Board of 8th October containing the Report on the Ramsgate non - provided elementary schools; if so, can he state what action the local committee proposes to take to remedy the conditions revealed in the Report; whether he will fix a time-limit during which the defects must be reme-
542 died; and whether, in the event of the local committee failing to act upon the Board's Report, he will recommend the withdrawal of the Government grant?
§ Mr. E. WOODThe defects in the premises, to which he refers, have been known to the Board for some time, through the reports of His Majesty's inspector. I need hardly say there is no foundation whatever for the suggestion that the Board ever instructed him to refrain from reporting upon them, and I have no reason to suppose that His Majesty's inspector has in any way been remiss in the performance of his duties in this respect. The attention of the local education authority has been officially called to them, and the Board are now pressing for a reply to their letters. The building regulation, to which the hon. Member refers, applies to new schools only. The Board are fully alive to the unsatisfactory condition of these premises, and when the observations of the local education authority are received a decision will be taken.