HL Deb 02 April 1981 vol 419 cc302-4

3.17 p.m.

Baroness David

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why there are such long delays in answering local education authorities' requests to close schools.

Baroness Young

My Lords, of the school closure proposals made by local education authorities between March and December 1980 and requiring a decision by my right honourable friend, about two-thirds were decided within four months of the date on which notices expired. Those which took more than four months were normally complex proposals, or ones which attracted a large volume of objections, and therefore took longer to consider. We understand the need to take decisions on all proposals as quickly as possible, and every effort is made to avoid unnecessary delay.

Baroness David

My Lords, while I thank the Minister for that reply, does she not think that perhaps four months is still quite a long time, because there is great uncertainty for the staff, for parents and for children in these cases? The consultation will probably have been going on for six months or more before the proposal is sent to the department. Could the Minister try to hurry up the whole affair?

Baroness Young

My Lords, our proposals under the 1980 Education Act were, of course, designed to speed up the school closure process, and therefore those proposals which attract no objection are now dealt with by local authorities themselves unless the Secretary of State wishes to intervene and settle the matter himself. That has speeded up some proposals. We are conscious of the time that is taken, but it is very necessary for each to be considered very carefully, particularly when they attract a large number of objections, and when Members of Parliament wish to bring deputations it does take more than two months after the expiry of the notices before the matter can be settled.

Baroness David

My Lords, I should like to ask one further question. Can the Minister give an assurance that once the statutory two months for objections is finished, the objections and queries which come in after that time will not be considered?

Baroness Young

My Lords, I could not give an absolute assurance on that because, clearly, if a deputation comes to see a Minister and raises new points, those must be considered because otherwise there would be no point in seeing the deputation.

Lord Hatch of Lusby

My Lords, while sympathising with my noble friend's concern about the uncertainty raised through this delay, can the Minister give an assurance that there will be no speeding up of the process that can obviate the very real objections that are being made, particularly in rural areas where it takes a long time to collect such objections? Can the Minister assure us that where there are wide objections, as there are in many rural areas, they will be treated with the fullest possible concern by her Ministry?

Baroness Young

My Lords, I can give an assurance that in every case of a school closure, whether it is in a country area or in a town, the matter is considered very carefully and all the relevant information is taken into account before a decision is taken.

Baroness David

My Lords, with the many closures for which the department has asked in the next year or so, will the backlog get bigger?

Baroness Young

My Lords, with the expected fall in the school population of about 1½ million and the Government's expenditure proposals, assuming a closing of about 75,000 school places, there will inevitably be an increase in the number of proposals coming before the Secretary of State. It is for these reasons that we have not only amended the arrangements by our new procedures in the Education Act 1980, but are looking at our own internal procedures to ensure that we can deal with the proposals efficiently and at the same time give full consideration to the many points of view that are expressed upon them.