HC Deb 05 March 1971 vol 812 c540W
Mr. Lane

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement about the cost-effectiveness study of the educational provision for the 16 to 19 age group.

Mrs. Thatcher

With the agreement of the Steering Committee of representatives of local authority and teacher associations this project is to be terminated. As a pilot study it has encountered substantial technical difficulties of methodology, and data collection and evaluation. The quality of the results likely to be obtained would not justify the continued investment of resources or manpower.

I am grateful to all those who cooperated in the study and regret that it has not proved possible to carry it as far as was intended.