HC Deb 08 July 1974 vol 876 cc343-4W
Mr. Knox

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of primary schools built since 18th June 1970 are of an open plan design.

Mr. Armstrong

Many primary schools contain arrangements of open and en-

NATIONAL MUSEUMS AND GALLFRIES—ATTENDANCES
1974
April May June
British Museum … … … … … 178,838 151,395 173,390
Science Museum … … … … … 207,482 149,335 157,582
Victoria and Albert Museum … … … 97,911 72,422 81,303
Bethnal Green Museum … … … 13,408 9,494 9,946
Imperial War Museum … … … … 143,885 76,739 60,666
London Museum … … … … … 26,740 29,056 27,634
National Gallery … … … … … 127,574 152,556 151,226
National Maritime Museum … … … Comparable figures not available
National Portrait Gallery … … … 27,595 25,497 20,419
Tate Gallery … … … … … 72,390 55,624 72,163
Wallace Collection … … … … 8,834 9,016 9,457
British Museum (Natural History) … … 195,951 139,273 140,755
Zoological Museum, Tring … … … 10,584 8,784 11,222
Geological Museum … … … … 32,354 28,237 35,295
National Gallery … … … … … 12,981 12,151 15,298
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art … 7,326 7,205 7,968
Scottish National Portrait Gallery/National Museum of Antiquities 4,526 4,601 5,102
Royal Scottish Museum … … … … 39,888 34,031 28,925
National Museum of Wales … … … 26,084 20,782 18,277
Total … … … … … 1,234,351 986,198 1,026,628

closed spaces in varying proportions. The Department has offered guidance to authorities on such arrangements, but it does not classify the schools on this basis; and responsibility for determining how the available area should best be deployed rests with the local education authorities and voluntary bodies concerned.

Mr. Knox

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary schools have been constructed since the 18th June 1970; and how many are under construction.

Mr. Armstrong

Between 1st July 1970 and 31st March 1974, 1,943 primary schools or departments of primary schools were completed. At the end of the period, 757 primary schools or departments were under construction.