§ 1. Mr. John Gunnell (Morley and Rothwell)What is the timetable for (a) applications and (b) decisions on the remaining education action zones which come into effect in 1998–99. [48088]
§ 7. Mr. Phil Willis (Harrogate and Knaresborough)What plans he has to increase the number of education action zones in the next four years. [48094]
§ The Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. David Blunkett)We had 60 applications for the present bidding round, 25 of which have been chosen to commence from September and/or January 1999, each receiving £750,000 a year for at least three years from public funds and £250,000 from other sources.
§ Mr. GunnellI thank my right hon. Friend for that information. Can he confirm that the Leeds local education authority can submit an application in the second phase of announcements for zone status for the inner-south Leeds family of schools, having withdrawn its earlier submission owing to reconsideration of the future for Middleton Park high school in my constituency? Will such an application get equal consideration alongside those remaining earlier submissions?
§ Mr. BlunkettI am happy to confirm that applications from Leeds on the lines that my hon. Friend outlined would indeed be welcome. I was greatly impressed with the east Leeds initiative when I went to see it earlier this year with Madame Cresson, and I know the excellent work that is being undertaken by the schools, the governing bodies and the local education authority in Leeds. Should we be fortunate enough next week to secure the resources in the spending review to expand the 1220 number of education action zones in the remainder of this Parliament as we intend, Leeds will be a welcome bidder indeed.
§ Mr. WillisI am deeply grateful to the Secretary of State for his final comments. He will know that my former school, John Smeaton community high school, was part of that east Leeds consortium and those words will be welcome there. Does he agree that the Liberal Democrats have strongly supported the introduction of education action zones? Indeed, we welcome their expansion, provided they are successful. Does he also accept that if an education action zone fails, it is the local education authority that has to pick up the pieces, so it is important that LEAs have representatives on education action zone forums?
§ Mr. BlunkettWe see education action zones as a partnership. Sometimes the LEA is the chair, sometimes business, and sometimes the schools have led the bid, as is the case with east Basildon and Croydon. Wherever the leadership comes from, partnership is crucial. The representation of all interests ensures that they can work together. Although I share the hon. Gentleman's sentiments about that partnership approach, the pieces would have to be picked up by all working in and being educated in the zone—the schools, the governing bodies and the LEA would be included, but parents and children would be at the receiving end. Our task is to ensure that education action zones do not fail, but we should learn the lessons from them and spread what works best as quickly as possible to the remainder of the education service.
§ Mr. John Cryer (Hornchurch)Does my right hon. Friend accept that there is some concern about the commercial input in certain education action zones? Can he specify exactly what will be the role and input of companies such as Shell in the zones?
§ Mr. BlunkettI want to make it clear that I greatly welcome the tremendous commitment and enthusiasm that is being shown by business, in both cash and kind, to education action zones. I deprecate the abuse that some companies received at the hands of the broadcast media when we made the announcement. The spectacle of Jeremy Paxman and others attacking those who were giving freely of their time and committing their resources, equipment and materials was a disgrace.
We welcome commitment—whether from Shell, British Aerospace, Marks and Spencer or BT—such as that in Hull, where British Aerospace is linking Hull with Rotterdam, and that in north-east Lincolnshire and Grimsby, where assistance is being given to link every home to schools, so that the network can provide education in the evenings, at the weekend, in the holidays. It is the beginning of a process for the future which will be achieved only if people come together and commit themselves to making it work.
§ Mr. Nick St. Aubyn (Guildford)Schools in education action zones will be buying books, computers and equipment from companies that operate for profit. Does the Secretary of State have any objection in principle to 1221 schools or schemes buying management or teaching services from companies that operate for profit, such as the Edison project in the United States?
§ Mr. BlunkettI should be extremely careful not to endorse any private enterprise that is engaged in the education system, as I would disqualify it automatically from any future partnership or bidding process. As people buy equipment, design, cleaning and other services, we will expect the education service, not just in education action zones but elsewhere, to buy expertise wherever and whenever it is required. I make it clear again, as I have done publicly before, that education is not for sale. Education action zones are not the beginning of a process of privatisation.