§ 13. Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what targets his Department has issued for primary school pupil places; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DunnTargets were promulgated in the 1986 public expenditure White Paper for the removal of surplus places by 1991 in schools of all types. The targets are not 12 broken down by type of school, but incorporate an assumption that local education authorities will be able to remove half of the national surplus of primary school places.
§ Mr. FreudWhy does the Minister's Department take so much less heed of the rising number in the primary sector than of the falling number in the secondary sector of education? Does he accept that this will be an end to the rising-fives, which for many children is the only provision, educationally, that is available?
§ Mr. DunnProposals for the closure or amalgamation of any schools are matters for local education authorities. Those proposals come before the Secretary of State by one route or another and, in the light of representations made, the Secretary of State makes a decision. In the context of the hon. Gentleman's question, local authorities must take account of the growth or decline in the school population in the area served by the school.