HC Deb 15 October 1996 vol 282 c869W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provisions exist to assist schoolchildren in Wales to combat bullying. [40521]

Mr. Jonathan Evans

As part of the Government's commitment to tackling issues of school discipline, we have made available funding of £925,000 under this year's grant for education support and training programme for specific projects aimed at reducing truancy and improving classroom discipline generally. However, primary responsibility for measures to combat and deal with bullying rests with schools themselves supported by local education authorities.

All schools should establish their own anti-bullying policy as part of their overall policy on pupil behaviour and discipline.

We will be bringing forward a package of measures to improve school discipline in the Education Bill which we will be introducing in the next session of Parliament.