§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many local education authority high schools in Wales have already phased out religious education as an option in the fourth and fifth General Certificate of Secondary Education years , and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsInformation is not available in the form requested. According to figures supplied by the Welsh Joint Education Committee, 198 out of 230 maintained secondary schools in Wales entered candidates for GCE or CSE examinations in religious studies or scripture in 1987.
A lack of examination candidates in a school in a particular academic year does not necessarily indicate that the subject is not offered as an option in that school.
The Education Act 1944 requires schools to provide religious instruction for all children of compulsory school age. The proposals in the Education Reform Bill, now before the House, reaffirm this requirement.