§ Ms. HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assurances have been given to the governors of Bacon's school concerning finance for a proposed new city technology college in Surrey docks.
§ Mr. ButcherMy right hon. Friend wrote to the Reverend Canon Gerald Greenwood, director of the Southwark diocesan board of education, the sponsors of608W the prospective Bacon's city technology college, on 10 March. That letter confirmed that we would be prepared to make capital grant available, up to a total of £10 million, for the establishment of a Bacon's city technology college on the Surrey quays site. My right hon. Friend made clear, however, that that was subject to the city technology college proposal being adopted by the governors of the Bacon's school, to the outcome of a detailed feasibility study of the costs involved, to the sponsors providing their share of those costs, and to his decision on an application by the governors for his leave to their giving notice of their intention to discontinue the school under the provisions of section 14 of the Education Act 1944.
My right hon. Friend also made clear that any such approach from the governors would be treated strictly on its merits. The factors he would take into account in these circumstances were set out in his statements of 28 July last year at column 402 and 23 January this year at column 383.