§ Mr. Loganasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education 1384W (1) whether he has considered the resolution passed by the Liverpool City Council on Wednesday, 1st February, 1939, to the effect that, conditional upon his Department refunding to them the sums which have been withheld by the Board from the education grant payable under the Education Acts, they were prepared to agree to lease to the Roman Catholic school authorities, on terms to be agreed, the schools which they have authorised to be provided to comply with the provisions of the Education Acts; and requesting him to promote any legislation necessary to enable the terms of this proposal to be carried into effect; and can he make a statement;
(2) whether he is in a position to give details of the scheme put forward by the Liverpool deputation, on 10th instant, in regard to solution of the problems of the 1936 Education Act; and, if any agreement has been arrived at, will he state the terms?
Mr. LindsayMy Noble Friend received a deputation from the Liverpool City Council last week to consider the resolution referred to, and the proposals embodied in it and their implications were fully discussed. These proposals are now to be discussed by the council with all the interested parties with a view to the preparation of a scheme to which my Noble Friend has undertaken to give careful consideration.
§ Mr. Loganasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether the £15,000 per month deducted from education grants allocated to Liverpool is a suspense account to be refunded if the Education Act, 1936, be operated in Liverpool; and will his Department refund amounts deducted?
Mr. LindsayThe Board's decision to withhold £15,000 from each of the monthly instalments of substantive grant for elementary education was arrived at for the reasons which I gave to the hon. Member on 24th November last. My Noble Friend has now decided that future instalments shall be paid in full. The question of the disposal of the sums already withheld will be decided before the end of the present financial year, in the light of all the circumstances.