§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will define full-time education within the meaning of the Education Act 1944; and whether training in adult workshops can be regarded as falling within this definition.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe Education Acts neither define the expression "full-time education" nor empower me to define it.
It would seem, however, that "full-time education" must derive its particular meaning from the context in which it is used. For example, it is reasonable to assume that it means something rather less in section 8(1)(a) of the Education Act 1944, which refers to:
full-time education suitable to the requirements of junior pupils",than it does in section 8(1)(b), which refers to:full-time education suitable to the requirements of senior pupils".Section 8 relates to school education; adult training centres such as adult workshops are neither schools nor the responsibility of local education authorities 16W but are provided by social services authorities. But where they exist, it is reasonable to assume that they would be taken into account by a local education authority when considering, for the purposes of section 41 of the 1944 Act, the adequacy of facilities for full-time and part-time further education.