§ Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans for a national curriculum in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsYes. Children in Wales are entitled to a school curriculum that is guaranteed to include the basic requirements of a sound education.
The legislation to enable a national curriculum to be prescribed which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science announced to the Select Committee for Education and Science of this House on Tuesday 7 April will also apply to Wales.
The core requirements of education in England and Wales are the same. Children in both countries deserve the same guarantee of a well-balanced foundation curriculum and I see every reason to expect that we should set the same attainment levels in Wales for basic subjects such as maths, English and science. That means that there needs to be the fullest involvement of all those concerned in Wales in the debates that will formulate the foundation curriculum. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science announced that we would be appointing a number of very strong working groups to advise on suitable attainment targets and the writing of the programmes to make sure these targets are achieved. Wales will be represented on these working groups and my officials will be co-operating closely with those of the Department of Education and Science in developing these proposals.
There are also very real educational differences between England and Wales that need to be provided for. Welsh children must continue to have the opportunity to benefit from the distinctive elements in the Welsh curriculum. We shall want to ensure that the national curriculum has the
Calendar years (£ million net) Source of aid 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 Total European Regional Development Fund-Quota — — 0.5 1.9 1.1 0.3 3.4 6.5 2.8 5.9 9.7 4.1 18.3 19.1 173.6 European Regional Development Fund-Non Quota — — — — — — — — — -2.7 — 1.8 — 0.3 14.8 European Coal and Steel Community — — — — 1.0 16.1 5.1 27.9 13.4 5.1 28.9 5.0 — — 2102.5 European Investment Bank — — 17.5 — — — 7.6 4.0 — — — — 20.0 33.5 52.6 European Social Fund — — — — — — — 0.04 — 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.7 4— 1.24 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 5— Total 18.0 1.9 2.1 16.4 16.1 38.44 16.2 13.8 38.9 11.0 39.0 22.9 234.74 1 Figures are net of decommitments which have been effected in the event of approved projects not proceeding as originally envisaged. 2 Figures for 1985 and 1986 are not available. 3 Figures available only to end of June 1986. 4 Figures exclude grant aid on schemes operated on a national and regional basis eg by the Manpower Services Commission. 5 Grants from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee cannot be split between counties. The Wales total to date is £343.3 million.