§ Sir W. DAVISONasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that officers' training corps and cadet corps in secondary schools are no longer allowed by a number of local education authorities throughout the country, in particular London and Glasgow, while appeals from such authorities have been made to the governing bodies of endowed secondary schools in their areas, which are aided from the rates, requesting them to disband officers' training corps and cadet corps in their schools; and whether, seeing that officers' training corps and cadet corps are an integral part of the Government scheme for national defence, pressure will be brought to bear on all local authorities who have directed the disbandment of officers' training corps and cadet corps in their secondary schools by means of reduction of any grant now paid them by the Government or otherwise?
Mr. STANLEYAlthough officers' training corps and cadet corps are outside the purview of my Department, I am aware that some local education authorities look on them with disfavour. I entirely disagree with this view, but I have no power to interfere with the discretion of local education authorities either to discontinue these corps in schools provided by them, or to recommend such discontinuance in schools not so provided.