34. Mr. Vaneasked the Minister of Education whether he is aware of the lack of uniformity between local education authorities in the provision of boarding education where parents wish their children to have this form of education and are prepared to accept full responsibility for the boarding fees; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure that children living in areas such as the County of London or the West Riding of Yorkshire, where the local education authorities are disinclined to make arrangements for this form of education, are not at a disadvantage compared with children living in other areas.
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§ Mr. Hardman:It is inevitable that there should be differences of view among authorities as to the circumstances in which help should be given, and such differences are, in my right hon. Friend's view, quite proper so long as they are based on reasonable grounds. In the sphere of boarding education, which is costly, it is natural that authorities should give first place to those children for whom it is clearly desirable, in the authorities' opinion as well as the parents', but who might otherwise not be able to secure it. My right hon. Friend does not accept the imputation in the second half of the Question that the two authorities named are not ready to make suitable arrangements where appropriate.