§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action has been taken by him to implement each of the recommendations of the Audit Commission contained in pages 2 to 4 of the summary of its report, "Towards Better Management in Secondary Education,"—May 1986, and its August 1988 report.
§ Mr. MacGregorA range of Government initiatives has addressed the issues raised in the Audit Commission's 1986 report. Local management of schools is enabling school governors to determine staffing profiles, and to deploy available resources, in line with each school's needs and priorities. The national curriculum and its associated assessment procedures will provide a better basis for measuring pupil and school performance. Since the abolition of the Burnham committee in 1987, teachers' pay and conditions have been determined on the basis of recommendations from the Interim Advisory Committee; I am currently considering what permanent arrangements should replace the IAC. On surplus school places, which are also the subject of the August 1988 Audit Commission paper, the Government continue to encourage LEAs to take effective action to remove them.