§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has received about the future teaching of home economics in relation to the proposed national curriculum; and what was the nature of those representations.
§ Mrs. RumboldBy 13 November some 8,500 individuals and organisations had responded to the Government's consultation document on the national curriculum. These representations have covered, among other issues, the place of home economics in the national curriculum. Respondents have expressed concern about the time available for home economics and its status as a subject within the national curriculum. In addition to these written representations, I have held a meeting with the United Kingdom Home Economics Federation, which expressed the same concern.