§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response he is sending to the Royal Microscopical Society in respect of its proposal that there should be a microscope in every school. [16376]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Secretary of State has not received any representation from the Royal Microscopical Society about the provision of microscopes in schools.
The value of microscopes is recognised in the national guidelines for environmental studies 5–14. These include microscopes in the range of equipment which schools should have available to provide for the reasonable needs of pupils and teachers in their investigative activities. However, the choice of equipment for schools is a matter for education authorities.