asked the President of the Board of Education whether, having regard to the need to accelerate the repair of school furniture and as a means to provide employment in the furnishing trades, be will agree that such work should rank for grant?

In view of the limits placed upon the amount of expenditure in the current financial year which can be recognised by the Board for grant, I regret that I cannot at present give any undertaking as to the recognition of abnormal and accelerated expenditure such as the hon. Member suggests.