§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what land used as playing fields by schools in Cornwall have been disposed of in the last 10 years. [165713]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggSection 77 of the School Standards and Frame work Act 1998 was introduced on 1 October 1998 to stop the indiscriminate sale of school playing fields that occurred in the 1980s and early to mid-1990s. Local authorities and governing bodies of all maintained schools now need the Secretary of State's consent before they n dispose of a playing field or any part of a playing field. Applications to sell school playing field are approved only where it is clear that they meet the published criteria and, in particular, that any proceeds will be used to improve school sports provision or education facilities.
There are no central records of how many school playing fields were lost before October 1998. Since October 1998, the Government have not approved any applications affecting schools in Cornwall that would result in the loss of areas of school playing fields capable of forming at least a small sports pitch of 2,000m2.