Every local education authority shall, in accordance with arrangements approved by the Minister, establish such education committees as they think it expedient to establish for the efficient discharge of their functions with respect to education.

Any two or more local education authorities may, with the approval of the Minister, concur in establishing a joint education committee for the consideration of questions of common interest to them.

Where it appears to the Minister to be expedient that two or more local education authorities should combine for the purpose of exercising some but not all of their functions with respect to education and that those authorities should establish a joint committee for that purpose, the Minister may after consultation with the authorities by order establish a joint education committee of those authorities and provide for the reference to the committee of such questions relating to those functions as in the opinion of the Minister should be so referred; and any such order may provide for authorising the joint education committee to exercise any of those functions on behalf of the authorities concerned, and may include such incidental and consequential provisions, including provisions with respect to the appointment and functions of sub-committees, as the Minister thinks desirable.

In the following provisions of this Part of this Schedule the expression " education committee " includes a joint education committee.

Every education committee of a local education authority shall include persons of experience in education and persons acquainted with the educational conditions prevailing in the area for which the committee acts.

At least a majority of every education committee of a local education authority shall be members of the authority.

Provided that in the case of a joint education committee, the provisions of this paragraph shall be deemed to have been complied with if the committee consists, as to more than one half of the members thereof, of persons who are members of any of the authorities for which the committee is established.

Every local education authority shall consider a report from an education committee of the authority before exercising any of their functions with respect to education :

Provided that an authority may dispense with such a report if, in their opinion, the matter is urgent or has been sufficiently considered or reported upon by a divisional executive established under Part III of this Schedule.

A local education authority may authorise an education committee of the authority to exercise on their behalf any of their functions with respect to education, except the power to borrow money or to raise a rate.

The minutes of proceedings of an education committee of the local education authority shall be open to the inspection of any local government elector for the area on payment of a fee not exceeding one shilling, and any such local government elector may make a copy thereof or an extract therefrom.

Nothing in this Part of this Schedule shall require the reference to any education committee of a local education authority, or to any sub-committee of such a committee, of any matter which under any enactment for the time being in force is referred to any committee of the authority other than an education committee.