§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what information she has on shortages of state or private secondary school places in the Islington area.
§ Mr. Robin SquireI refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's reply today to my hon. Friend the Member408W for St. Ives (Mr. Harris). There were, 656 surplus places in maintained secondary schools in Islington in January 1994, 19 per cent. of total capacity. The Department does not collect information on the supply of independent school places.
§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will meet the leader of Islington council and discuss the extent to which the council has not provided the range of educational choice required by all Islington residents.
§ Mr. Robin SquireMy right hon. Friend has no plans for such a meeting.
§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment she has made of whether Islington council is meeting all the statutory requirements currently in force under the Education Acts.
§ Mr. Robin SquireMy right hon. Friend has made no such assessment. She has no reason to believe that Islington is not meeting the relevant statutory requirements.
§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to improve educational choice in Islington.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe Government's White Paper of July 1992, "Choice and Diversity" (Cm 2021), set out a new framework for schools in England, opening the way to greater variety in education through the formation of new schools and by encouraging specialisation.
The Government have also taken action to increase parental choice by enabling parents to express a preference for the school they wish their child to attend. Parents now have more rights, more information and access to a wider choice of different schools than ever before.
§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many ballots for grant-maintained status have been conducted in Islington state schools in the last five years.
§ Mr. Robin SquireSince grant-maintained status became available, to date no ballots have been held in Islington.
§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the state and private schools operating in Islington and within three miles of Islington and state for each state school whether it is grant-maintained.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe Department's records do not enable us to identify which schools fall within three miles of Islington. The list which has been placed in the Library gives all schools by type, excluding schools for pupils with special educational needs, in Islington and the neighbouring boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Southwark, Waltham Forest and Westminster.