HC Deb 24 July 1986 vol 102 c834 7.58 am
Mr. Peter Pike (Burnley)

I shall take the opportunity of the two minutes that are available to open my debate on Lancashire schools because the Minister is here and it would have been an important debate. The case has been well presented by Lancashire county council to the former Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph), so the Minister will already be aware of the matter. A delegation of Members of Parliament from Lancashire has met the Minister to put our case. We need some £44 million extra, over the next five years if we are to deal with the problem that exists in Lancashire.

We need that money if we are to put our schools into good repair and maintain them. Obviously, the Minister will not have time to reply and I will not have time to put my case. Perhaps the Minister will accept an invitation to come to Lancashire during the summer recess to look at the problem on the ground. If he wants to be convinced that Lancashire has a good case, let him come along and see the situation and meet the chairman of Lancashire education authority and the hon. Members for Lancashire. Is he prepared to reply to that invitation in the time available?

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Timothy Eggar)

rose

It being Eight o'clock, the motion for the Adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put.

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