HC Deb 07 December 1939 vol 355 cc840-1W
Mr. Tomlinson

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education how many schools have been requisitioned by the military authorities and His Majesty's Office of Works, respectively; and under what codes, elementary, secondary or technical, were such schools being used prior to requisitioning?

Mr. Lindsay

The Board have no figures as to the total number of schools which a have been requisitioned by the military authorities. The position is altering from day to day, some of the requisitioning being purely temporary, and the two Departments are in close and constant touch on the matter.

The total number of grant-aided schools requisitioned by the Office of Works is 80, of which 57 are elementary schools, 10 secondary schools, nine technical schools and four training colleges. Of the elementary schools four are occupied of which it is hoped that one will soon be released. The remainder of the elementary schools and all the secondary schools are available for educational use on the understanding that they may have to be vacated in an emergency at 48 hours notice. One technical school has been occupied, and the remainder have been returned to the respective local education authorities upon the same understanding as that affecting elementary and secondary schools. It is hoped that one of these will shortly be wholly released.

As regards training colleges, one has been wholly occupied, one partly occupied arid two have been offered reoccupation on the same terms as those affecting the other types of school?