§ 5. Mr. Doranasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will set up an inquiry into the state of school buildings; and if he will make a statement.
§ 11. Mr. Pikeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will set up an inquiry into the state of school buildings; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science (Mr. Bob Dunn)My Department has already undertaken a sample survey of county and voluntary controlled schools in England. The report is being published today and copies are available in the Vote Office. Schools in Scotland are, of course, the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
§ Mr. DoranIs the Minister aware that that survey estimates that it will cost about £2 billion to £3 billion to repair and refurbish school buildings to a decent standard? Is he further aware that the report on the survey was completed in April 1986? Is his failure to publish until today the result of incompetence, or embarrassment?
§ Mr. DunnThe hon. Gentleman's estimate of the cost is right. The figures available to me show a capital cost of about £2 billion. The report was published today—the hon. Gentleman should have thanked me for it — because we decided to give extra time to local authorities which had some difficulty in making their returns, and accordingly we set a later deadline.
§ Mr. PikeDoes the Minister recognise the problems that are created for the education of our children because of the many substandard school premises? When capital allocations for next year's programme are made later this year, will he ensure that sufficient money is made available to Lancashire county council and other authorities which have serious problems that must be tackled urgently?
§ Mr. DunnThe hon. Gentleman is a regular supplicant on behalf of his authority. He should stay around and listen to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement later this afternoon.
§ Mr. CranDoes my hon. Friend agree that the condition of school buildings in my constituency, and the shortage of science equipment in some of the science laboratories in those schools, owes more to the policies being pursued by the Lib-Lab-controlled Humberside county council, which is the education authority, than to the policies being pursued by the Government?
§ Mr. DunnMy hon. Friend pitches his question correctly. Much of the responsibility for the state of our school stock rests with the last Labour Government.
§ Mr. BudgenWill my hon. Friend confirm that there are spare school buildings in Wolverhampton and that they might be used for a CTC, as is much desired by the newly Conservative-controlled Wolverhampton council?
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will have noted that question. Responsibility for school stock, empty places, proposals for change and the availability of stock rests with the local education authority, which must make proposals to be considered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
§ Mr. StrawIs the Minister aware that the Government's record on school buildings is one of appalling neglect, which was confirmed by Her Majesty's inspectors' report earlier this year, showing that 1.5 million children—one fifth of all school children—were being taught in classrooms so bad as to have an adverse effect upon their education? As his own report estimates that up to £3,150 million will be required to bring schools up to standard, at the present rate of plans how many years will schools and children have to wait?
§ Mr. DunnSince the report was commissioned we have spent a considerable amount of money on capital projects. Again, I urge the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) to wait for the Chancellor's statement this afternoon. However, I should point out that any claim that the responsibility for the state of school stock rests entirely with the Government is wrong. The hon. Gentleman must also take some responsibility for when his party was in government.