§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision he has made in respect of the intake allowed into grammar schools in Northern Ireland where there is a number of children of Regular Army personnel in the intake and where the number of children in a yearly cohort is affected by the transfer of such children to those schools from elsewhere when their parents are transferred to Northern Ireland.
§ Dr. MawhinneyAdmissions are a matter for individual school boards of governors, and the children of regular Army personnel resident in Northern Ireland are catered for within the normal arrangements. Schools are required to admit pupils up to their approved admissions number and to apply admissions criteria if they are oversubscribed. The admission of children from schools outside Northern Ireland is also a matter for individual schools, but the Department of Education is prepared to consider applications for an increase in school admissions numbers in cases where there are extenuating circumstances.