§ Mr. Tom Coxasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if Her Majesty's Government will provide financial help to education authorities which wish to remove asbestos from schools within their areas; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DunnIt is for local education authorities to order their priorities within the resources available to them. Representatives of the local authorities raised the question of asbestos with my right hon. Friend at a recent meeting and agreed to provide him with information about the scale and nature of the problem as they see it. Some general guidance to local authorities on dealing with asbestos, which may not necessarily involve its removal, was given in a booklet entitled "Asbestos materials in Buildings" published by the Department of the Environment in August, a copy of which is in the Library.