§ Mr. Nealeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science If he will conduct a review of the statutory and minimum requirements for the construction and provision of education buildings and facilities to permit savings in expenditure required by local education authorities; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonMy Department has recently completed a review of the statutory requirements for school premises to ensure that they take into account current local education authority practice and the curricular and other changes of the past 20 years. Taken overall the resulting proposals should allow a net reduction in educational expenditure. The Department is now in the process of consulting local authority and other interested bodies about revising the present standards. Any changes in the statutory requirements would of course be laid in the form of regulations for the approval of the House.