§ 6. Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools in Bournemouth are grant maintained. [16058]
§ Mrs. GillanOne primary school, four secondary schools and one special school.
§ Mr. AtkinsonCan my hon. Friend confirm that the increased flexibility in funding, free of local authority controls, has enabled the six grant-maintained schools in Bournemouth, as elsewhere, to become even better schools? Is she aware that the Lib-Lab-controlled Bournemouth council, shortly to become a local education authority, is committed by resolution to the elimination of those grant-maintained schools? Can she confirm that grant-maintained schools in Bournemouth and throughout the country will remain safe only under a Conservative Government?
§ Mrs. GillanAll the Bournemouth schools that conducted ballots to go grant maintained have returned yes votes, and my hon. Friend is correct to describe them as excellent schools. We heard earlier that there would be no choice under new Labour. There would be no choice under the Liberal Democrats either. Both new Labour and the Liberal Democrats would grab those schools back into local education authority control. They obviously consider the boards of governors, the head teachers and the teachers at those schools incapable of coping with the self-determining status that we have given them, and they wish to take decisions for those schools. No, grant-maintained schools are certainly not safe under the Liberal Democrats.
§ Mr. GunnellI know that Hampshire plays at Bournemouth but, for the sake of confusion, I added together the number of schools in Dorset and Hampshire that have held ballots. I found that only three out of almost 1,000 schools had held ballots, and one of those had said no.
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. That was a very good try, but we are dealing with Bournemouth. Only two Members of Parliament represent Bournemouth constituencies: we have heard from one, and the other is not present.