§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate she has made of the number of pages of legislation extant that are now directly applicable to heads or governors of(a) maintained and (b) grant-maintained schools in respect of their obligations and duties; and in each case what estimate she had made of the additional number arising from the Education Bill. [2554]
§ Mr. ForthNo such estimate has been made. Head teachers and governors carry important and wide-ranging responsibilities for the education of their pupils, alongside local education authorities and other parties. These responsibilities are duly set out in current and prospective statute, but cannot sensibly be assessed in terms of the number of pages of legislation.