§ 24. Dr. Kingasked the Minister of Education if he will state the names of county borough local education committees with 15 per cent. or over of secondary school children still in all-age primary schools, with their respective percentages.
§ Sir E. BoyleThis information is contained in List 69, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy.
§ Dr. KingIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware that that list shows that, of 14 local authorities, in nine over 20 per cent. of the children still receive secondary education in all-age schools, in three over 40 per cent. and in one 55 per cent. of the children are still in all-age schools? Since the rural reorganisation was approved to get the proportion of children in the rural areas below 15 per cent., will not the hon. Gentleman stop the ban on urban authorities tackling the job of getting the complete reorganisation into full effect?
§ Sir E. BoyleWe certainly hope to provide a full secondary education at separate senior schools for all senior pupils as soon as economic conditions permit. As, however, the hon. Member knows, the country has suffered from a shortage of resources for capital under successive Governments ever since the war. It would be wrong for me to give optimistic promises which any Government would find it difficult to fulfil in the immediate future.