§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has in respect of the closure of schools in Kent; and if he will make a statement. [36601]
§ Mr. ByersNone. The planning of school places in Kent is a matter for the Local Education Authority and, in the case of secondary provision, the Funding Agency for Schools. But the Government believe that LEAs should keep the supply of school places under review. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Mr. Grogan) on 26 February 1998,Official Report, column 364, in which I said that officials would write to all LEAs and to the FAS asking that they justify continuing to maintain schools with high levels of surplus particularly where performance is poor. But we recognise that authorities will want to take into account any particular local circumstances. Officials have now written to all authorities asking them to address this issue in their annual return to the Department, due by 1 June.