HC Deb 15 March 1988 vol 129 cc526-8W
15. Dr. Twinn

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on financial delegation to schools.

Mr. Dunn

We have received a range of representations on our proposals for financial delegation to schools.

17. Mr. Speller

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science upon what dates(a) the consultative documents on the Education Reform Bill were despatched to Devon county council and (b) replies were required; and what is his practice regarding the minimum time for a local authority to distribute, consider, discuss and provide reasoned comment on such papers during the months of school holidays and council recesses.

Mrs. Rumbold

Devon county council was sent copies of the consultation papers at the same time as all other local education authorities which had an interest. My right hon. Friend made it clear that comments received right up to the introduction of legislation on 20 November 1987 would be carefully considered. I will arrange for a table showing the timing of this distribution and the dates by which replies were requested to be published in the Official Report.

Document Dispatched Replies requested
Changes in Higher Education:
Polytechnics and colleges sector 10 April 30 June
Changes in Higher Education:
Contracts 8 May 30 June
Collective Worship 7 July 11 September
More open enrolment 9 July 16 September
Financial delegation to schools 20 July 16 September
Grant Maintained Schools 24 July 30 September
National Curriculum 5–16 24 July 30 September
Maintained Further Education:
Financing, Governance and Law 7 August 9 October
Charges for school activities 2 October 30 November
Accounting and auditing in Higher Education 20 October 30 November

21. Mr. Greg Knight

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about his proposals to encourage parental involvement in education; and if he will make a statement.

45. Mr. Mullin

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research his Department has carried out into the willingness of parent-governors to accept their increased responsibilities under the Education Reform Bill.

94. Mr. Andrew MacKay

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has for making parents aware of the role they will have in the running of schools under the Education Reform Bill.

95. Mr. Haselhurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what initiatives he intends to take to encourage further parental involvement within education, following the extended role given to them in the Education Reform Bill.

Mr. Dunn

A number of responses to the consultation documents issued last year included comments upon parents' increased involvement in and influence upon their children's education. We intend to give greater publicity to the changing role of parents and of school governors, so that they will be able to make full use of the new opportunities offered to them. A free booklet was issued by the Department last December to explain to parents, governors and others the changes proposed in the Education Reform Bill. Last week, the Department published two further leaflets. The first encourages parents and others to become school governors. The second leaflet outlines the changes in school governors' responsibilities already introduced as a result of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986, and now proposed in the Education Reform Bill.

23. Mr. Moss

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on the opting-out of schools from county education authorities.

43. Mr. Roger King

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has now received on his proposals for schools to opt out of local education authority control.

Mr. Dunn

My right hon. Friend has received approximately 950 responses to his consultation paper on grant-maintained schools, of which 27 came from local education authorities in county areas.

29. Mr. Hanley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further representations he has received on the Education Reform Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold

Since the beginning of the year my Department has received about 2,750 representations concerning the Education Reform Bill.

44. Mr. Marland

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received concerning assessment testing of children aged seven, 11 and 14 years.

Mrs. Rumbold

More than 100 representations have been received since the publication of the report of the task group on assessment and testing on 12 January. As with the large number of responses to the Government's consultation document on the national curriculum last year, many of the representations have expressed a variety of views about the place of assessment and testing.

87. Mr. McAllion

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has received from Scottish universities concerning the Education Reform Bill.

90. Mr. Nigel Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the Association of University Teachers in Scotland and university principals and governing bodies concerning the Education Reform Bill; and what was his response.

Mr. Jackson

We have received many representations from universities about the provisions of the Education Reform Bill, including some from Scotland. My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State met representatives of the AUT (Scotland) on 1 March to discuss the Bill's academic tenure provisions. The Government have taken appropriate account of all representations in carrying the Bill forward.

88. Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received seeking further details on the proposed foundation subjects in secondary schools in the Education Reform Bill.

Mrs. Rumbold

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mr. Chapman) on 19 January at columns616–7.