§ 86. Dr. Strossasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many boys were resident in the approved school at Standon, Staffordshire, on 1st January, 1947; how many have absconded in the past 12 months and in the preceding four years; and the total of escapes from the school in each year during the past five years.
§ Mr. EdeThe answer to the first part of the Question is 64. The number of boys who absconded from the' school on one or more occasions was 30 in 1946, 10 in 1945, 11 in 1944, 11 in 1943, and 9 in 1942. Some boys ran away several times, and if each occasion is counted separately the number of abscondings in these years was 71, 20, 25, 15 and 18, respectively.