HC Deb 13 February 1939 vol 343 c1383W
Mr. Lathan

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether instructions have been issued to education committees regarding provision for children who enter the country as refugees and desire to attend secondary schools and other higher educational institutions; and, if so, whether he will state the nature of the instructions or whether it is proposed to inform education committees of the desire of the Board and the character of the financial arrangements to be made for meeting the cost of the education of such children, including the cost of appointing additional teachers deemed to be necessary?

Mr. Lindsay

A statement of the Board's views as to the conditions of admission of refugee children to schools in this country has been communicated to all the associations of local education authorities. The nature of those conditions was indicated in the reply which I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Wing-Commander James) on 2nd of this month. Owing to the wide distribution of refugee children over the country, it is anticipated that the number likely to qualify for admission to secondary and other schools of higher education in any particular area will be small, and no special measures for meeting the additional expenditure, if any, would appear to be called for.