HC Deb 03 July 1956 vol 555 cc1144-6
30. Mr. Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an assurance that there will be no cuts in, or slowing down of, the school building programme as part of the current national economy campaign.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

No project which is essential to provide for the increase in the school roll, for the movement of population to new housing areas, or for the development of technical education is being postponed, but my right hon. Friend has asked education authorities to defer certain projects which do not fall into any of these categories.

Mr. Hamilton

That, again, is being less than frank with the House. Is the Joint Under-Secretary of State aware that this continual niggling at the education Estimates is causing concern among people who are genuinely interested in education? If it is a fact, as the English Minister of Education says, that our competitors are putting their shirts on education, should not the Secretary of State for Scotland do at least as much?

Mr. Stewart

We are putting a great deal more than our shirts on: we are putting on all we can possibly put. Last year, the starts on new schools were a record, £11.4 million worth. This year the figure will be higher still. That is the best answer I can give to the hon. Member.

Mr. Hoy

The Joint Under-Secretary of State last year gave the commencing date for most school building in Scotland as well as announcing the date for the Forth road bridge. Can we take it that neither of those dates has been altered, and that the recent announcements of the Government do not alter the original starting dates?

Mr. Stewart

The matter of the Forth road bridge does not arise on this Question. There was, on the starts for schools, a certain lag over from last year, on schools that the authorities hoped to start but found they could not. Adding those to this year's programme, we shall this year make more starts than ever before in Scottish history.

37. Miss Herbison

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many schools, included in the 1955–56 programme but not started in that period, have now been started; and what effect these arrears is expected to have on the 1956–57 programme.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

Three schools were started in the period from 1st April to 31st May one of which the education authority concerned had expected to start in the year 1955–56. It is my right hon. Friend's aim to ensure that all essential projects which education authorities are ready to start in 1956–57, whether they had expected to start them in the previous year or not, will go ahead as soon as they are ready.

Miss Herbison

Is the Minister not aware that that is not an answer to the Question on the Order Paper? Is he aware, from the figures which he gave in answer to a previous Question, that 40 per cent. of the proposed programme for 1955–56 did not begin, and can he say what effect that will have on the 1956–57 programme?

Mr. Stewart

Forty-seven schools which the local authorities had hoped to start last year were not started. [Interruption.] They were unable to make a start; we hope that they will start this year. As I have already stated, the total effect of that is that we shall start building more schools this year than ever before.

Miss Herbison

Is the Minister aware that it is very evident in Scotland that the Government are doing everything they can to sabotage the building of public buildings while at the same time encouraging all kinds of luxury building?

Mr. Stewart

The facts are that the present Government are doing more by far in the way of school starts—[Laughter]. Well, that is the Question. They are doing, in the way of total amounts spent in any year on building and in the way of completed schools, far more than the Opposition ever dreamt of doing.

Mr. Speaker

Order. We cannot debate that now.