§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions she proposes to hold with Sheffield local education authority in respect of the prevention of interference with, and intimidation of, governors and parents during grant-maintained ballots. [20039]
§ Mrs. GillanNone. The Government look to the local education authority and all other parties concerned in a ballot for grant-maintained status to ensure a fair and balanced debate for governors and parents. The Government have sought to promote this through the introduction of a code of practice on information in GM ballots. My officials have from time to time written to all chief education officers about these issues. 565W In addition, all formal complaints about ballots are investigated under section 31(1) of the 1993 Education Act.
§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidelines her Department has issued to parents, governors and local education authorities to ensure fair and accurate information is available for grant-maintained status ballots. [20187]
§ Mrs. GillanBallots for grant-maintained status are held under a voluntary code of practice which states that information for governors and parents should be objective, accurate and balanced. The code is available to parents through a departmental publication—"How to Become a Grant-Maintained School"—and was commended to governors in circular 18/93. An almost identical code has been promulgated to local education authorities by the Society of Education Officers.
§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action she proposes to take(a) in respect of the use of misleading information during balloting for grant-maintained status and (b) to ensure that balloting can take place without the interference or intimidation of governors and parents. [20038]
§ Mrs. GillanThe Government are committed to ensuring a fair and balanced debate for governors and parents in ballots for grant-maintained status. A number of measures are already in place to help secure this. The voluntary code of practice on information in ballots for grant-maintained status is binding on LEA officials, officials from the Department and employees of the Grant-Maintained Schools Foundation. Measures in the 1993 Education Act enable a ballot to be declared void and re-run where it appears that there are irregularities in the conduct of the ballot or the outcome has been significantly influenced by the circulation to parents of materially misleading information.