§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide local education authorities with a summary of the reasons why his Department has given £326,000 for research that will evaluate conductive education.
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. The Department is providing the grant in the hope that the research will provide a clear understanding of the effectiveness of conductive education, as well as monitoring how well it transposes from Hungary to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local education authorities have approached him for advice on the value of conductive education; and what was his response.
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend has no record of any such approach from a local education authority.
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§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has given local education authorities about conductive education.
§ Mr. DunnNone. I shall keep in mind the need for guidance to be given to local education authorities, although it may be necessary to await the outcome of Birmingham university's research evaluation.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he has gained from Her Majesty's inspectors of education regarding the value of conductive education; and what information he has as to whether any of the inspectors giving advice had invited the Peto Institute in Hungary.
§ Mr. DunnIt is not the practice to publish the advice given by Her Majesty's inspectorate to my right hon. Friend on particular issues; no member of the inspectorate has visited the Peto institute.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will request those external to his Department who have advised him on the value of conductive education to inform the Foundation for Conductive Education of their ideas;
(2) which people or organisations, external to his Department, have provided him with advice about the value of conductive education; and if he will indicate in each case what information he has as to whether the source of the advice had visited the Peto institute in Budapest.
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend has not sought advice from any sources outside central Government. Several people have written to the Department in support of conductive education, including some who have visited the Peto institute.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to ensure that the Birmingham project providing conductive education on an experimental basis will have the resources which, in preparation to the number of children involved, will match those provided by the Hungarian Government for conductive education in Hungary, so that the success of the method in Britain relative to Hungary may be effectively researched.
§ Mr. DunnMy right hon. Friend is providing £326,000 to enable Birmingham university to carry out a research evaluation of the Birmingham project; it would not be appropriate for the Department to be involved both in the experimental project and in its evaluation.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department will call a one-day conference for experts and interested observers, for the purpose of presenting research papers and discussing the value of conductive education.
§ Mr. DunnNot at present. Such a conference might be of value when some conclusions are available from the National Foundation's conductive education project in Birmingham, and from the evaluation which the University of Birmingham is undertaking.