§ Mr. SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state, for the year 1928–29, the amount paid in Scotland for teachers' salaries and the number of teachers included in that figure; and the amount in administrative expenses and the number of administrative officers included in the latter figure?
Mr. ADAMSONThe expenditure of education authorities in Scotland on salaries of teachers in day schools in the year ended 15th May, 1929, was £7,516,051, the number of full-time teachers employed in day schools on 31st March, 1929, being 26,662. The expenses of administration, including expenses of members, printing, legal costs and all expenses in connection with the up-keep of offices, etc., amounted to £383,721. I am unable to furnish the hon. Member with the information he has asked for concerning the numbers of administrative officers employed by the authorities without calling for a special return which I am of opinion would scarcely justify the labour and expense involved.
§ Mr. SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why, in the Annual Reports of the Council of Education for Scotland, there has been omitted since 1926 a table showing exemptions granted to scholars; whether he will now give in tabular form the exemptions granted with and without conditions for the years from 1920 to 1929; and whether he will 1976W cause the table of exemptions to be included in future reports?
Mr. ADAMSONThe number of exemptions now shows little change from year to year and the small variations that occur are without true significance unless their causes are examined in detail. Such examination is made from time to time in the general reports of the chief inspectors. I am supplying the hon. Member with a table giving the figures asked for in the second part of the question. For the reason already stated I do not think that the annual publication of this table is now necessary.
Following is the table referred to:
Year ended— Scholars granted exemption. Total. With conditions. Without conditions. July, 1929 … 2,251 3,323 5,574 July, 1928 … 2,315 3,555 5,870 July, 1927 … 2,289 3,375 5,664 July, 1926 … 2,119 3,674 5,793 July, 1925 … 2,453 3,908 6,361 July, 1924 … 2,589 3,163 5,752 July, 1923 … 3,652 2,805 6,457 July, 1922 … 3,420 2,560 5,980 July, 1921 … 4,024 3,089 7,113 July, 1920 … 5,290 1,821 7,111
§ Mr. SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that 5,574 pupils attending primary schools were in 1929 granted exemption from school attendance after reaching 12 years of age; and whether he will cause arrangements to be made by education authorities for continuing educational supervision of exempted pupils and imposing conditions for compulsory attendance by these pupils at continuation classes carried on either by the same or some other authority?
Mr. ADAMSONThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. But it should be noted that, of the total, 2,393 were only temporarily exempted; and that, of the remaining 3,181 who received permanent exemption, a large proportion were over the age of 14 and were merely released from the statutory obligation of continuing at school to the end of the school term. In reply to the second part of the question, I may say that the whole question of 1977W exemptions is at present under my consideration in connection with the raising of the school leaving age; but so long as the education authorities retain their present powers of exemption I see no sufficient reason for restricting their discretion in the direction suggested. More than two-thirds of the permanent exemptions granted by education authorities in 1928–29 were in fact subject to conditions as to attendance at continuation classes.
STATEMENT showing the number of State-Assisted houses built by Local Authorities in Leicestershire between 1st January, 1919, and 31st May, 1930. Local Authority. Number of State-Assisted houses completed by Local Authorities between 1st January, 1919, and 31st May, 1930. Number of houses approved which had not been started at 1st June, 1930. Number of State-Assisted houses under construction at 1st June, 1930. County Borough: Leicester … 5,092 50 298 Boroughs and Urban Districts: Ashby-de-la Zouch … 72 — — Ashby Woulds … 90 — — Coalville … 190 — — Hinckley … 130 150 — Loughborough … 587 26 42 Market Harborough … 164 — — Melton Mowbray … 99 — — Oadby … 32 — — Quorndon … 6 — — Shepshed … 80 46 32 Thurmaston … 12 — — Wigston Magna … 346 — — Rural Districts: Ashby-de-la-Zouch … — — 26 Barrow-upon-Soar … 354 143 14 Belvoir … 16 — — Billesdon … 2 — — Blaby … 190 50 — Castle Donington … 28 14 10 Hallaton … 22 — — Hinckley … 386 2 12 Loughborough … — — — Lutterworth … 94 — — Market Bosworth … 52 2 — Market Harborough … 66 — — Melton Mowbray … — 50 —