§ 26. Mr. Dribergasked the Minister of Education if he will give an assurance that the holding of a general inquiry into primary education will not cause delay in the rebuilding of schools whose obsolescence is already well known.
§ Sir E. BoyleYes, Sir. I certainly give that assurance. When the results of my Department's survey have been analysed, I shall have all the information I need about the extent of obsolete buildings. The inquiry will be concerned with much more fundamental issues.
§ Mr. DribergDoes that encouraging reply mean that if we draw the right hon.
629 Gentleman's attention to some disgracefully obsolete school—like the denominational school in my constituency about which we have had correspondence in the past—we shall not be fobbed off with some such excuse as, "These matters must await the results of the inquiry, as we are not sure that the location of the school is ideally correct"?
§ Sir E. BoyleThe inquiry will be concerned with fundamental long-term issues about what goes on in the primary schools; that is to say, the aims of primary education and the links with nursery and secondary education over the next 30 years or so. If I may say so, I should be glad to be able to persuade the hon. Gentleman to take an interest in what is going on in the primary schools as well as in the fabric of the schools.