§ 15. Mr. Biffenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has to encourage the private provision for education in view of the expected restraint of public expediture on education in light of the economic consequences of devaluation.
§ Mr. Gordon WalkerNone, Sir.
§ Mr. BiffenAs the right hon. Gentleman, clearly, does not win his battles in the Cabinet over the allocation of public 635 expenditure, is it not desirable, in order that the nation shall spend a fully adequate proportion of its resources upon education, that the private sector's contribution should be welcomed and encouraged?
Mr. WalkerI am interested in the hon. Gentleman's idea of Cabinet government. It is not a question, whoever is in office, of Ministers simply fighting one another departmentally. They have a Ministerial responsibility for the whole policy of the Government. I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman's supposition or his remarks in the rest of that supplementary question.
§ Mr. HenigHas my right hon. Friend any estimate of the cost to public funds of the private sector of education in various ways, and has he proposals in mind, in view of the national economic situation, to reduce this cost?
Mr. WalkerI know the cost in the direct grant schools. I do not know the full cost if one includes fiscal arrangements and matters of that kind. In any case, that would be a question not for me but for the Chancellor of the Exchequer.