§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of phasing out direct grant schools; and how this compares in percentage terms to the cuts in educational expenditure.
§ Mr. MulleyNo firm estimate is possible. There will be some savings and some additional expenditure, but the phasing out is unlikely to make much difference one way or the other to public expenditure. In the circumstances it is not possible to express a quantitative relationship with the reduced rate of growth for 1976–77 implied by my right hon. Friend in his Budget Statement.