§ 16. Mr. Norman Lamontasked the Secretary of State for Education and 1158 Science what discussions he has had with local authorities about the proposals in the Queen's Speech for bringing about comprehensive education.
§ Mr. MulleyOn 17th September I sent to the local authority associations, and the national bodies responsible for voluntary schools, a document outlining a possible form of legislation to give effect to Government policy on comprehensive reorganisation. On 10th and 13th October, my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary and I met these bodies to discuss the proposals.
§ Mr. LamontIf the Government are confident that comprehensive education is so universally excellent, why are there still so many local authorities which refuse to publish details of examination results in comprehensive schools? Before the Government take the drastic step of making universal comprehensive education compulsory, should they not ensure that the consequences of comprehensive schooling are submitted to public examination and debate?
§ Mr. MulleyI am very happy to have such debates and have already taken part in a number of them. I thought that this was the point of the debate initiated by the Opposition earlier this Session. Whether examination results are published is a matter for the authorities and schools concerned. I know of a number of authorities that do not publish results in respect of grammar schools. It works both ways.