§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he intends to take as a result of the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate on the effect of public expenditure cuts.
§ Mr. Mark CarlisleThe report makes it clear that in many respects and in many places the quality of service observed continues to be satisfactory. The final report is being published today so that all those who have an interest in education, including parents, can study its findings; and I hope that local authorities will take account of the weaknesses shown by the report in assessing their priorities within the resources available to them. I shall be consulting the local authority associations about further action on the report when we next meet to continue our discussions on educational expenditure. Copies of the published report have been placed in the Vote Office and Library of the House.