§ Colonel DAYasked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the fact that there are in England and Wales at least 150,000 defective children, including those blind, deaf, physically defective, and mentally deficient, together with epileptic children, of whom only about 41,000 are provided for in special schools, he will state what education authorities have made full provision under the Elementary Education (Defective and Epileptic Children) Act, 1914, or for physically defec- 824W tive children under the Education Act, 1918; and will he take immediate steps that will result in new special schools being provided for children so afflicted where the local education authorities have not made the necessary adequate provision?
Duchess of ATHOLLIn the areas of about 22 local authorities the provision for the education in special schools of mentally defective children is fairly complete, and one or two authorities have made similar provision for the physically defective children in their areas. As regards blind and deaf children, the large majority of local authorities have made more or less complete provision. In the areas of about a dozen authorities the provision of special schools for crippled children has been rendered unnecessary by the operation of orthopædic schemes, and my right hon. Friend hopes that in the remaining areas, about 100 in number, in which such schemes have been established, or are in contemplation, similar results will be obtained. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given him on the 26th February last. My right hon. Friend must, however, deprecate the assumption that the very difficult problem of defective children can be solved by the mere building of additional schools.