§ Mr. Leeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her estimate of the total saving that would accrue to the Exchequer if all public education were conducted on a nondenominational and secular basis; how much of this saving would derive from primary education amalgamations and how much from secondary; and if she will make a statement.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonIt is not expected that there would be such a saving. In 1976–77 the governors and managers of voluntary aided primary and secondary schools, most of them denominational, contributed over £5 million towards the cost of repairs and new buildings. This expenditure would have fallen on public funds if the schools had been county schools.