asked the Minister of Education if she has made an estimate of how many buses will be required to transport children to school if the new schools which are planned to be built in Sunderland according to the present school building programme are not built; and what will be the annual cost of so conveying the children to school.

I am not in a position to make such an estimate, but as a result of recent discussions with representatives of the local education authority I am satisfied that the revised 1952–53 building programme will suffice to meet Sunderland's most urgent needs and will help to relieve their transport problems.