Grant-maintained Schools

HC Deb 27 January 1994 vol 236 cc357-8W

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education in which publications, over what period, and at what cost, the current advertisement, or advertisements, for grant-maintained schools are being placed; and what is the cost of the associated freephone information service.

Mr. Robin Squire

The advertisements providing factual information on grant-maintained status will run for five weeks from 20 January in a range of publications at a cost of some £200,000. They coincide with the introduction of the relevant provisions of the Education Act 1993. Requests for booklets arising from the advertisements will be fielded through the Department's distribution arrangements for GM information, which include a freephone service; it is not possible at this time to disaggregate the costs related to telephone calls prompted specifically by the advertising campaign.