HC Deb 29 March 1994 vol 240 cc786-7
9. Mr. Tredinnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff were employed in the education department of Leicestershire county council annually over the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr. Robin Squire

This information is not collected centrally.

Mr. Tredinnick

Does my hon. Friend think that because local management of schools has been so successful, particularly in Leicestershire, and because there is an ever-increasing number of grant-maintained schools, there should be serious reductions in education departments, not least in Leicestershire, which is controlled by a Lib-Lab pact? Is not that something which the Department should be encouraging?

Mr. Squire

My hon. Friend must be right in what he says. Indeed, had he been inclined to do so, he could have added that further education colleges and sixth-form colleges have now also started to run themselves. All this adds up to a sound reason why all LEAs across the country should be reducing their central staff.