§ 34. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Education the numbers of children aged five years and over, in the school population in January in each of the years from 1946 to 1952 inclusive; and her estimates of the numbers for 1953 and 1954.
§ Miss HorsbrughAs the answer consists of a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the figures:
§ Number of children aged 5 years and over in maintained and assisted Primary and Secondary schools (England and Wales) in January:
| Actual | Thousands | ||||
| 1946 | … | … | … | … | 4,869 |
| 1947 | … | … | … | … | 4,881 |
| 1948 | … | … | … | … | 5,209 |
| 1949 | … | … | … | … | 5,392 |
| 1950 | … | … | … | … | 5,540 |
| 1951 | … | … | … | … | 5,623 |
| Estimated | |||||
| 1952 | … | … | … | … | 5,813 |
| 1953 | … | … | … | … | 6,058 |
| 1954 | … | … | … | … | 6,222 |
§ 35. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Education if she will state, separately, the numbers of additional school places which were required for the raising of the school-leaving age to 15 years and the number of other additional school places estimated to be required between 1945 and 1953, owing to the increasing size of the school population.
§ Miss HorsbrughIt is estimated that the increasing school roll and the movement of families to new homes require by the end of 1953 1,150,000 additional school places, of which about 160,000 were needed for the raising of the school leaving age.
§ Mr. SwinglerWill the Minister consult the present Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has more than once given an estimate that the number of places required by the end of 1953 is 1,450,000? Can we have an authoritative statement from the Government as to which of these estimates is correct?
§ Miss HorsbrughI think perhaps that it would be a good thing if I gave that correction. I think the hon. Gentleman, when speaking in a debate lately, said that the right hon. Member for Farnworth (Mr. Tomlinson) had given the number at 1,450,000. We know now that he was wrong, for it has been looked up in HANSARD. My predecessor gave the number required as 1,150,000, and gave the dates as being from 1947 to 1953. In the same debate—on 4th May, 1950—the present Chancellor of the Exchequer estimated the number at 1,450,000, but he did not state whether this figure related 643 to the time from immediately after the war, or to the same period as that to which the right hon. Member for Farnworth referred. I have taken the estimate of my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Farnworth, and it is that on which I am now working.