ESTABLISHMENT OF EDUCATION ACTION ZONES

HC Deb 15 July 1998 vol 316 cc434-5

Lords amendment: No. 5, in page 10, line 5, at end insert ("; or (b) with a view to enabling it to achieve improving standards in the provision of education once it becomes a maintained school, any new school which has a temporary governing body.")

Mr. Byers

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.

Mr. Deputy Speaker

With this, it will be convenient to discuss Lords amendments Nos. 6 to 10, 166, 187 to 189 and 358.

Mr. Byers

This group of amendments covers three broad areas. The first group deals with clause 10, as a difficulty may exist with schools that were created once an education action zone had been established. A school may close or schools may merge and, as the regulations and the Bill stood before consideration in the Lords, such new schools would not be part of the zone. Amendments Nos. 5 to 7 remedy that potential weakness and would allow a new school that is created within the zone to be fully a part of it, which is an appropriate way forward.

The amendments to clause 13 deal with the procedure and means by which disapplication of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1991 will take place. The amendments ensure that all governing bodies, including those that are not the legal employer of the teacher, have the power to disapply a teacher's pay and conditions document, if they wish. It is appropriate that all governing bodies should have that important power. We commend those amendments to the House.

The final group deals with the accounts of education action zones being audited and made available to the National Audit Office, which is an appropriate way forward, and the amendments would also ensure that education action forums have charitable status. That is particularly important because such status will act as an incentive to private companies making donations in cash or in kind to the forums. Obviously, certain tax concessions will be available as a result of the forums having charitable status.

Those three groups of amendments are important, and I commend them to the House.

Lords amendment agreed to.

Lords amendments Nos. 6 to 10 agreed to.