§ 51. Dr. Kingasked the Minister of Education if he will reconsider his decision not to implement the recommendations by his working party on maintenance allowances for children in secondary schools over school-leaving age.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydNo, Sir.
§ Dr. KingIs the Minister aware that his predecessor was advised by a group of experts in a report called "Early Leavers on the importance of making provision for more children to stay on at grammar schools, that his predecessor was also advised by a group of experts to make much more generous provision for maintenance allowances for these children than so far he has been willing to grant? While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for what he has done, may I ask if he will look again at this question?
§ Mr. LloydThe working party to which the hon. Member has referred had among its members many distinguished educationists. My predecessor did in fact adopt most of its recommendations. He was not, however, able to adopt this particular one, but I think it fair to say that what he did was to make the cost of these allowances two-and-a-half to three times higher than it had ever been before.
§ Mr. M. StewartIs it not the case that the allowances at present paid are very much below the recommendation of the working party and that a new approach to the recommendations of the working party might do much to encourage children to stay longer at school?
§ Mr. LloydNaturally it is a question of degree. Having read the report, I think it fair to say that one can take different views of the very complicated points that were considered.