§ 13. Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of Stale for Education and Science what information he has as to the number of local authorities that employ education welfare officers.
§ Mr. DunnLocal education welfare services are provided in every local education authority in England.
§ Mr. HeddleDoes my hon. Friend agree that hard core truancy is directly linked to crime, particularly in inner cities? Does he therefore agree that one of the prime roles of education welfare officers should be to make parents responsible for sending their children to school's'
§ Mr. DunnWe should like education welfare services to be focused more on school attendance issues. We are considering how those services might make a greater contribution towards reducing worrying truancy levels. The last major national survey of truancy was in 1974. It showed that in maintained middle and secondary schools in England and Wales nearly 90,000 pupils, 2.2 per cent. of the total, were absent with no good reason.
§ Dr. MawhinneyWith the understandable concern about truancy, why does not my hon. Friend require local authorities to submit annual trancy figures to his Department?
§ Mr. DunnEvery requirement that we make of local education authorities involves a cost. I am sure that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will bear in mind what my hon. Friend said.
§ Mr. Kilroy-SilkDoes the Minister accept that schools contribute to truancy and that if their syllabuses were more akin to the needs of the children, and more attractively presented, truancy would decrease?
§ Mr. DunnI am happy to agree with the hon. Gentlemen. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has initiated programmes regarding the low attendance of pupils.