§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will make a statement on the rules and regulations governing concessionary school transport for pupils attending secondary schools;
(2) what powers county councils have to discriminate against one secondary school with regard to concessionary school transport without adopting a similar policy for all other similar secondary schools in the county; what representations he has had from Essex on this matter; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how many non-Church comprehensive schools in Essex benefit from the policy of concessionary school transport from Essex county council; and if he will make a statement;
(4) if he will make a statement on Essex county council's proposed policy towards discretionary school transport.
§ Mr. ForthA local education authority must provide free transport if it considers it necessary to facilitate a pupil's school attendance. Authorities have considerable discretion to tailor this provision to meet pupils' individual needs. They also have power to help other pupils with their travelling expenses, and to carry them at a charge in any spare seats on school buses provided by the authority to carry pupils who do qualify for free transport. Data on local education authorities' school transport provision are not collected centrally.
36WLEAs must treat pupils at grant-maintained schools no less favourably than comparable pupils at schools maintained by an LEA. The Department has had three representations from Essex about the authority's proposal to phase out discretionary transport for pupils at the Ingatestone Anglo-European and Davenant Foundation grant-maintained schools, but has seen no evidence that would justify my right hon. Friend's intervention.