§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultation there was between the Scottish Education Department and Tayside regional council about the terms of the council's advertisements placed in the Dundee Courier on 11 November 1983 and 16 January 1984 relating to proposed school closures; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Allan StewartNone. There is no requirement for education authorities to consult my right hon. Friend before instituting consultations on proposals for school closures. Following the publication of certain advertisements by Tayside regional council, my Department wrote to the education authority on 8 December 1983 pointing to apparent deficiencies in those advertisements and seeking comment.
§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether, if a local education authority places an advertisement in the local press in relation to proposed school closures, which does not appear to his Department to comply with the provisions of regulations made under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, his Department makes it its practice so to inform the local authority;
(2) why, on 8 December 1983 the Scottish Education Department wrote to Tayside regional council alerting it that its consultation procedure in relation to school closures was not in keeping with the regulations under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.
§ Mr. Allan StewartShould it come to the attention of my Department that an education authority, in advertising school closure proposals, might have failed to comply fully with the requirements of the Education (Publication and Consultation Etc) (Scotland) Regulations 1981, I would regard it as good administrative practice for the Department to write to the authority to point out the apparent deficiency.
§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why, in his letters to the hon. Member for Dundee, West on 2 December 1983 and 24 January 1984, the Under-Secretary of State stated that he and his Department regarded the consultation meetings about proposed school closures being held by Tayside region as 469W being those as required by the consultative process for school closures under the Education (Publication and Consultation) Etc. (Scotland) Regulations 1981.
§ Mr. Allan StewartMy letters of 2 December 1983 and 24 January 1984 dealt solely with specific points raised by the hon. Member for Dundee, West in relation to the description of Tayside regional council's proposals for several closures as advertised and to the quality and range of information provided as a basis for consultation.