§ Mrs. Kellett-Bowmanasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider postponing the introduction of the new general certificate of secondary education examination until such time as further resources may be available and students suitably prepared for it.
§ Sir Keith JosephNo. This reform of the examination system has been long awaited, and its announcement last year was widely welcomed. The Government's expenditure plans for 1986–87 provide scope for authorities to redeploy their resources towards policies to which they wish to give priority, including the GCSE, provided that they contain costs and take advantage of opportunities for efficiency savings.