§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to improve the complaints procedures for parents in Scotland this year; and in which education authorities.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIt is important that education authorities have good complaints procedures so that parents can secure proper redress if things go wrong in schools. While such complaints procedures are primarily a matter for education authorities, the Scottish Office Education Department recently provided funding of £6,000 to the Scottish Consumer Council toward research in this field. The results of the research are contained in a report by the council on complaints and redress in Scottish schools, published in August 1994, entitled "Could Do Better". I welcome the report as a valuable contribution to the improvement of complaints procedures.