HC Deb 21 October 1987 vol 120 cc738-9W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the bodies representative of parents from whom he received representations prior to the publication of his recent consultative papers; and if he will place copies of such representations in the Library.

Mrs. Rumbold

My right hon. Friend and his ministerial colleagues frequently meet parents and their representatives in the normal course of work. The reforms set out in our consultation documents take account of views expressed by parents and others over a number a years.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the formal responses he has received to his various consultative papers on educational change.

Mrs. Rumbold

No. It is for those originating responses to decide whether or not to make them publicly available. We are, however, arranging for copies of responses, other than those from individuals, to be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the numbers produced of each of his duplicated consultative documents on educational reform, the numbers he distributed initially without request, and those subsequently distributed with or without charge, respectively.

Mrs. Rumbold

The numbers of documents produced, to date are as follows:

Total number produced Number distributed initially Number distributed subsequently
The National Curriculum 5–16 60,000 1,200 56,800
Charges for school activities 9,000 1,100 7,000
Collective worship 500 390 34
Financial delegation to schools 10,500 514 9,683
Grant Maintained schools 12,000 514 10,874
Admission of pupils to Maintained schools 10,500 514 9,626
Changes in structure and national planning for higher education (polytechnics and colleges sector) 2,000 450 1,380
Changes in structure and national planning for higher education (contracts between the funding bodies and higher education institutes) 3,000 1,300 1,450
Changes in structure and national planning for higher education (Universities Funding Council) 2,000 466 1,489
Maintained further education: Financing, governance and law 7,000 1,687 5,063
Academic tenure and related matters 32 32 Nil
Organisation of education in inner London 4,000 1,975 1,947
Accounting and auditing in higher education 1,000 588 1Nil
1 Document issued 20 October 1987.

All these documents are available free of charge from the Department.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, as a contribution to the consultations he is holding concerning the opting out procedures for maintained schools, he will estimate, or initiate studies to establish, the value to schools in (a) ILEA and (b) other local education authorities, of the professional, administrative and other goods or services not currently covered by current capitation allowances.

Mr. Dunn

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. Current capitation allowances commonly account for only a small proportion of school budgets and there would be little point in collecting information in the form proposed. As from September 1987 local education authorities have to provide governing bodies with an annual statement of all expenditure incurred at their schools, and we propose to extend the requirement to include information about the cost of central educational services.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultations he had with the bodies currently responsible for determining the syllabuses of the main school examinations, prior to deciding the terms of paragraph 33 of his consultative paper on the national curriculum proposing transfer of these responsibilities to himself.

Mrs. Rumbold

The Government's consultation document on the national curriculum proposes that approval of the syllabuses prepared by the school examination bodies, which is currently undertaken on a non-statutory basis by the Secondary Examinations Council, should be put onto a statutory footing. The examination bodies have been invited to respond to this proposal and we shall take their comments into account, along with others we have received.