HL Deb 16 February 1998 vol 586 c4WA
Lord Thomson of Monifieth

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why, in view of their commitment to membership of the European Union, they have deleted European studies from the list of available GCSE subjects. [HL570]

Baroness Blackstone

It is for the GCSE Awarding Bodies, not the Government, to determine what GCSEs to offer in subjects that are not part of the statutory National Curriculum. Awarding Bodies' decisions take account of factors such as levels of demand for the qualification, the costs of offering the syllabus and the availability of the expertise necessary to provide for external assessment of candidates' performance.