§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1), in view of the present economic situation continuing, if he will defer phasing out the direct grant schools in September 1976;
(2) whether he proposes to compensate the direct grant schools for a material change in the position scheduled for September 1976.
§ Mr. PrenticeI shall inform the House as soon as possible of the action I intend 313W to take in respect of the direct grant schools.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many direct grant schools are affected by his proposals; and what is their location by county.
§ Mr. PrenticeThere are 174 direct grant grammar schools in England and Wales. Their location by county is as follows:
England Avon 9 Bedfordshire 2 Berkshire 1 Cambridgeshire 3 Cheshire 3 Cornwall 2 Devon 8 Dorset 1 Durham 1 East Sussex 1 Essex 2 Greater London 20 Greater Manchester 23 Hampshire 4 Hereford and Worcester 2 Hertfordshire 3 Humberside 2 Kent 2 Lancashire 12 Leicestershire 2 Lincolnshire 2 Merseyside 16 Norfolk 3 Northamptonshire 3 Oxfordshire 4 Salop 1 Somerset 1 South Yorkshire 3 Staffordshire 2 Suffolk 4 Surrey 1 Tyne and Wear 7 Warwickshire 1 West Midlands 4 West Yorkshire 11 Wiltshire 1 Wales Gwent 2 Gwynedd 1 Mid Glamorgan 1