§ Mr. Rhodesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) in which regional advisory council for further education areas proposals are being discussed for the closure or partial closure of departments of building and/or construction in technical colleges;
269W(2) whether she will recommend to local authorities where closures are contemplated of departments of building and/or construction in technical colleges that there should be a period of standstill in such arrangements pending a revival in activity for the construction industry and an improvement in the financial circumstances of the Construction Industry Training Board.
§ Mrs. ThatcherAlthough enrolments have been declining for some years and existing provision has accordingly had to be rationalised, this has not, so far as I am aware, resulted in construction departments being closed. In only two regions—those of the Southern Regional Council for Further Education and the Regional Council for Further Education for the South West—is the closure or partial closure of such a department under discussion.
Responsibility for the internal organisation of colleges and for the provision of courses rests with the colleges themselves and with local education authorities. I am confident that in reaching any decisions about future provision of
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Number of Pupils in Nursery Schools Number of Nursery Schools Net expenditure on Nursery Schools Local Education Authority January, 1965 January, 1970 January, 1970 1969–70 Counties £ Bedfordshire … … 154 216 3 30,080 Berkshire … … 653 804 13 87,171 Buckinghamshire … … 801 1,003 10 91,852 Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely … … 302 390 5 48,773 Cheshire … … 50 53 1 11,563 Cornwall … … 41 41 1 7,363 Cumberland … … 40 40 1 4,682 Derbyshire† … … 104 66 1 6,719 Devon … … — — — — Dorset … … — — — — Durham† … … 855 792 16 157,460 Essex† … … 289 238 2 28,579 Gloucestershire† … … 40 47 1 7,260 Hampshire … … 40 39 1 6,638 Herefordshire … … 35 34 1 5,599 Hertfodshire† … … 1,281 1,693 20 159,937 Huntingdon and Peterborough … … 114 154 2 24,523 Isle of Wight … … — — — — Isles of Scilly … … — — — 50 Kent† … … 163 53 1 5,830 Lancashire … … 2,133 2,726 43 397,125 Leicestershire … … — — — — Lincolnshire, Holland … — — — — Lincolnshire, Kesteven … 90 96 2 15,087 Lincolnshire, Lindsey … 52 62 2 8,260 Norfolk … … 119 121 3 18,567 Northamptonshire† … 80 161 4 17,371 Northumberland … … — — — — Nottinghamshire … … 77 86 2 14,003 Oxfordshire … … 84 109 2 13,598 Rutland … … — — — — courses in construction, colleges and authorities will have regard to the longer-term implications of such decisions.