§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will introduce legislation to require that the two-month statutory objection period in respect of a local authority's proposal to close or amalgamate schools pursuant to the Education Act 1980, does not include the school summer holiday;
(2) if he will introduce legislation to amend the provisions of the Education Act 1980 about the reorganisation of governing bodies of secondary schools to be reorganised by closure or amalgamation under the Act to provide for them to be given adequate time to arrange to meet within term time, and thereafter to formulate any objection they may wish to make before the end of the statutory objection period allowed in the Act;
(3) if he will introduce legislation to amend the Education Act 1980 to provide that there should be a consultation period, with parents and others, to consider precise proposals to close and amalgamate secondary schools under the Act, before publication of the same proposals for the statutory objection period.
§ Mr. DunnNo. My right hon. Friend has, in circulars 2/80, 2/81 and 4/82 and most recently in administrative memorandum 4/84, offered guidance to local education authorities, the governors of voluntary schools and other proposers on the timing of publication of proposals under sections 12–15 of the Education Act 1980 and on the need for adequate consultation with parents, governors and teachers before the publication of proposals. The timing of the publication and the adequacy of the prior consultations are therefore necessarily material factors when my right hon. Friend considers proposals which fall to him to decide.