§ Mr. Edeasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education, how many schemes for the establishment of Church central schools under the Education Act, 1936, have been received by the Board; against how many have objections been lodged; how many public inquiries have been held; in how many cases after public inquiry has the scheme been sanctioned; in how many cases after public inquiry has the scheme been rejected; in how many cases after an objection has been lodged has the scheme been approved without public inquiry; what is the total number of schemes sanctioned and rejected respectively; and in how many cases is a decision outstanding?
Mr. Lindsay:Notices under Section 18 of the Education Act, 1921, have been published in respect of 113 proposed new voluntary senior schools and of 39 proposed enlargements of voluntary senior schools. In some of these cases the statutory three months' period of publication of notices has not yet expired. Appeals have been made to the Board against 20 of these proposals and public inquiries have been held in two cases; one of these has been rejected and on the other a decision has not yet been reached. In four cases, in which appeals have been made, the proposals have been approved without a public inquiry being held. The total number of schemes so far approved is 37, and the number rejected one. In 114 cases a decision has not yet been reached.