§ 7. Mr. Dormandasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the effects of the 4 per cent. cut in education spending envisaged in the public expenditure White Paper.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe White Paper—Cmnd. 8494—sets out the Government's plans for a 3 per cent. increase in spending on education in the current financial year and the implications for each sector of education.
§ Mr. DormandWill the right hon. Gentleman take into consideration the restrictions that have already been made in education and the fact that a 4 per cent. cut, contrary to the right hon. Gentleman's reply, will have a most serious effect on education? There is evidence that it has already happened. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the widening gap between public and private standards of education can be potentially dangerous?
§ Sir Keith JosephAs the school population is falling there is an opportunity for some economy in public spending while still maintaining pupil-teacher ratios and real spending on each child at the present record level. To make doubly sure, the Government have made further reductions in higher education and in provision for school meals rather than in school education.
§ Mr. FormanAs education spending places such a large burden on local authorities and on ratepayers, what progress is my right hon. Friend making towards the possibility of a specific grant from central Government to carry the cost of teachers' salaries?
§ Sir Keith JosephThat is a different question, but my hon. Friend will be aware that the Government canvassed that as one alternative in their discussion paper on rates and are now considering the answers from the consultations.
§ Mr. BeithDoes the Secretary of State agree that he must revise his expenditure plans if he is to respond to the 179 report of Her Majesty's inspectors that the maintenance of standards is threatened by current policies and that any improvement is not possible within those constraints?
§ Sir Keith JosephMuch as I respect Her Majesty's Inspectorate and the evidence in its report, it does not follow that quality exactly marches with resources.
§ Mr. DobsonIn view of Her Majesty's inspectors' report on the effects of the Government's cuts in the education service to date, including such consequences as the removal of modern languages and design and technology and the threat of the removal of English and mathematics from the curriculum of some secondary schools, does the Secretary of State agree that his words "wicked", "vindictive", and "destructive" could properly be applied to his education policies, which affect 90 per cent. of children?
§ Sir Keith JosephNo, Sir, I would have more respect for the hon. Gentleman if a Labour Government had intitiated the publication of the annual report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate.