§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he was consulted prior to the Government's announcement of support for proposals to change the school year; what assessment he has made of the overall impact on the economy of these proposals; and what assessment he has made of the impact on specific sectors of the economy, with particular reference to(a) tourism and (b) transport. [159874]
§ Mr. MilibandProposals for a standard six-term school year have been developed by an independent commission on the school year which was established by the Local Government Association. The Commission included representation from the tourism industry. My right hon. Friend sees merit in the argument in favour of standardising the length of school terms. Decisions on school term dates and holidays however continue to be the responsibility of individual local education authorities or school governing bodies, depending on the category of school