§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will give examples of the circumstances in which he has upheld complaints under Sections 68, 76, and 99, respectively, of the Education Act 1944, against whom complaints under Section 68 were directed; and what steps were taken to require the local education authorities concerned to comply with any adverse adjudication under Section 99;
(2) how many letters have been received during the last year concerning Sections 68, 76 and 99, respectively, of the Education Act 1944; from whom they were received; what were the most common issues raised; and in how many cases under each section he supported the complainant.
§ Mr. PrenticeNo detailed count is kept of letters received by my Department whose subject matter might require consideration in the light of my powers under Sections 68 or 99 of the Education Act 1944. The most common subject of complaint is a local education authority's unwillingness to admit a child to a school of his parent's choice. Very many complaints of this kind are settled to the complainant's satisfaction without formal determination, but most of the relatively few directions I give under Section 68 relate to such cases. I have given no directions under Section 99. Section 76 confers neither a right on anyone to complain to me nor a power on me to give directions; it enunciates a general principle to which I and local education authorities must have regard in exercising our respective functions under the Education Acts.