§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to simplify the range of post-16 qualifications; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe provisions of the Education Reform Bill, if enacted, will enable my right hon. Friend by order to extend the powers relating to approval of qualifications and syllabuses for pupils of compulsory school age, so that they apply also to full-time pupils and students aged 16 to 19.
However, my right hon. Friend has no present plans to seek the extension to the 16–19 age group of any such powers.