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Crawley

Volume 518: debated on Thursday 22 October 1953

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22.

asked the Minister of Education what new schools are being provided at Crawley, Sussex, in view of the inadequate facilities available to the increasing child population of the new town.

Five schools or extensions to schools have been completed, five are now being built, and five more have been included in building programmes for starting next year. On my present information I expect the provision of accommodation to keep pace with requirements.

Is the right hon. Lady aware that the present position is so deplorable that some children have to make six changes of schools in about as many terms, and that houses were going up there before the plans of the schools to which she refers were even off the drawing board?

I am not responsible for the starts which were made some years ago, but from the figures which I have now given him the hon. and gallant Member will see that we are going ahead with a very good school building programme.

While I congratulate the hon. and gallant Member for Brixton (Lieut.-Colonel Lipton) upon being as un-parochial in his Questions as is my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Ayr (Sir T. Moore), may I ask my right hon. Friend whether she is aware that the locally elected county councillors at Crawley have recently completed a thorough investigation into the problem, which, naturally, affects everybody who is interested in the town? Will she give an assurance that she will give serious consideration to any of the recommendations of the county councillors which I bring to her notice?

Yes, Sir. I will certainly consider any suggestions that come to me.