HC Deb 21 November 1973 vol 864 cc1317-8
11. Mr. Alexander Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the nature of the buildings used by pupils and staff of St. Anne's, St. Cuthbert's and Beckford Street Schools in Hamilton, he will include these three schools in his next list of approvals for building projects.

Mr. Monro

I am considering a building programme which Lanarkshire Education Authority has just submitted for primary school improvements to start in 1974–75. Among the projects included are first phases of two new primary schools, one to reduce the roll of St. Anne's and the other partly to replace St. Cuthbert's. The authority has suggested that the replacement of Beck-ford Street should be considered in connection with the 1975–76 programme.

Mr. Wilson

Is the Minister aware of the unsafe conditions in which the children are being educated and in which the staff are working, particularly at St. Cuthbert's where rebuilding is taking place and there are no fire safeguards; at St. Anne's where the education authority is determined to rebuild in what I consider to be antiquated buildings recently burned out; and in Beckford Street school where the buildings are being shored up?

Will the hon. Gentleman avail himself of the opportunity to visit those schools together with myself as the Member of Parliament concerned and realise that the children are working and being educated in very difficult conditions? Will he agree on a basis of priority that in the 1974–75 programme he should allocate sufficient moneys for complete new annexes at St. Cuthbert's and St. Anne's and that a completely new school should be built at Beckford Street? Will he consider visiting the area as a matter of priority?

Mr. Monro

The education authority's proposals reached my Department only on 9th November. We must have detailed discussions with the authority on those proposals, as I explained to the hon. Gentleman in the first part of my reply. The hon. Gentleman should accept that the Lanarkshire primary school improvement programme is substantial; it is £2.1 million out of a total of about £12.2 million for the whole of Scotland. I accept from what the hon. Gentleman says that the conditions in these schools are far from adequate. That is why the authority has put forward proposals to improve the situation.