§ 25. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Education in what areas in the administrative county of Essex schoolrooms have become surplus to requirement owing to reduced school population; to what purpose such rooms have been put; and in what areas schoolrooms are now overcrowded.
§ Sir E. BoyleThis information is not readily available and could not be produced without a special inquiry by the local education authority.
§ Mr. SorensenMay I ask the Minister whether, in the cases about which he is aware, he has recommended to the appropriate authorities that they might convert these classrooms into indoor swimming pools, as has been done in Leyton and one or two other areas?
§ Sir E. BoyleIf the hon. Gentleman has any specific case to put to me, I shall be glad to look at it. There are a number of schools which on the basis of one room per class have more classrooms than they need. But that does not necessarily mean that these are rooms which are surplus to requirements. Schools can often make good use of the extra rooms in their day-to-day develop- 649 ments in miscellaneous ways. But I will look at any case which the hon. Gentleman likes to refer to me.