§ 18. Mr. A. Edwardsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he is aware that only 120 pupils of the Leeds High School, Headingley, have been evacuated, and that 460 pupils remaining in Leeds are not allowed to continue their education although the governors are anxious to reopen the school and have provided excellent air-raid shelters; and will he take immediate action to remedy this anomaly?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education (Mr. Kenneth Lindsay)The facts are substantially as stated by the hon. Member, but as the Leeds Girls' High School is not situated on the fringes or in a sparsely populated part of the Leeds evacuation area, it does not satisfy the conditions on which assent may be given to the reopening of secondary schools in such areas. The whole question of the provision of education in evacuation areas is under the immediate consideration of the Government.
§ Mr. EdwardsCan the hon. Gentleman say what he means by "immediate" consideration? May we expect a decision within a few days? And is there any reason why this matter should not be left entirely to the local education authority?
§ Mr. LindsayThe answer to the first part of the question is that by "immediate" I mean within the next week.