HC Deb 21 January 1997 vol 288 cc543-4W
Sir Irvine Patnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what questions relating to, and mentioning, marriage were included in the research conducted by MORI on behalf of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority. [11660]

Mrs. Gillan

Recipients of the questionnaires issued to the samples surveyed by MORI were asked to refer to the consultation document, which set out both the values statements and the view of some of the members of the forum on values that a reference to marriage should be included in the statement on the family. They were asked for views on whether any of the values statements required strengthening. Focus group discussions were prompted in a similar fashion.

Sir Irvine Patnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for what reasons the consultation document on the national forum for values in education and the community issued by SCAA did not specify the date for the end of the consultation period; when it was sent; and if she will make a statement. [11661]

Mrs. Gillan

The School Curriculum and Assessment Authority will take into account all comments received by 10 January when it considers what recommendations to put to Ministers. SCAA initially failed to notify some of those who requested its consultation document that the deadline for responses was 29 November. In the light of concerns expressed to it, it subsequently notified all who had requested the document and had not yet responded that they had until 10 January to do so.

Mrs. Peacock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) parents, (b) head teachers and heads of personal and social education and (c) school governors were involved in the qualitative research conducted by MORI on behalf of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority. [11559]

Mrs. Gillan

The MORI research included a quantitative and a qualitative element. The quantitative research comprised: an omnibus survey of a representative sample of 1,455 adults, including 597 parents; a postal survey of some 700 organisations with an interest, including teacher associations, parents' and governor's organisations; and a postal survey of a random sample of 3,200 schools—1,200 secondary and 2,000 primary schools. The qualitative research comprised four focus group discussions, each involving five to 10 parents; four focus group discussions, each involving six to eight school governors; and six focus group discussions, each involving four to eight head teachers or heads of PSE. In addition, anyone could request a copy of the document "Consultation on values in education and the community" and respond to it.

Mrs. Peacock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for what reasons the concept of marriage was not included in the main body of the report arising from the consultation exercise on the national forum for values in education and the community conducted by SCAA. [11560]

Mrs. Gillan

The consultation document set out the draft statement of values agreed by the vast majority of forum members and quoted a more tightly drawn reference to family values, preferred by five forum members, which made specific reference to marriage.

Marriage is mentioned several times in MORI's consolidated report on the consultation, discussed by the forum at its meetings on 6 January. The forum approved, with slight amendment, a revised reference to the family in the draft values statement which gives greater prominence to marriage.