§ Mr. Elystan Morganasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what studies are being made by his Department with a view to the acceptance and implementation by Her Majesty's Government of the Gittins Report relat- 174W ing to bilingual education in primary schools in Wales.
§ Mr. Gordon Walker:Working groups of H.M. Inspectorate in Wales were set up before the end of 1967 to study a number of the more important proposals in this Report, including those relating to bilingual education. These are now at work and I shall rely greatly on their advice. But, as I indicated in my reply to hon. Members on 29th January, I shall need to have full consultations with the various bodies and associations concerned with this Report; and it will therefore be some time before I can reach firm conclusions on how far I can accept and implement these and other aspects of it.
§ Mr. William Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many education authorities in Wales are already implementing the major recommendations of the Gittins Report on the teaching of the Welsh language.
§ Mr. Gordon Walker:Most Education Authorities in Wales, following the Aaron Report and Wales Circular 15 of February, 1953, have a language policy which provides for the teaching of Welsh in their schools and gives all children the opportunity to learn Welsh as a first or second language. Some of the Gittins recommendations are designed to reinforce and systematise the existing practice of Authorities. But there are others which are new and are not at present being implemented. The Local Authority and other educational bodies concerned have been invited to make known to me their views on this and other recommendations in the Gittins Report.