§ 3. Mr. Haselhurstasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will bring forward legislation to seek to improve services for young people in the community.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Education and Science (Mr. Gordon Oakes)My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans to legislate on this matter.
§ Mr. HaselhurstIs it not apparent that with the present number of unemployed young people more services are required? Does not experience teach us that without legislation local authorities will not make the necessary allocation within their education budgets?
§ Mr. OakesMuch of this is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment, but I can say that at the present stage legislation is not the answer. Local authorities have powers which they can use without the need for legislation.
§ Mr. MaddenDoes my hon. Friend accept that some of the best services in many communities are in the schools themselves and that many young people are denied opportunities to use those services, particularly during holiday periods? Notwithstanding the difficulties of supervision, is my hon. Friend satisfied with the efforts being made to make schools and their services more available to young people during holiday periods?
§ Mr. OakesI am never satisfied. We keep pressing local authorities about community use of school buildings, playing fields, and so on, and we shall continue to do so.