asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has given any further advice to the Derbyshire Education Committee on the proposed closure of the Dale Abbey Primary School.

Not since my Department wrote to the authority on 30th March. The hon. Member will have received a copy of that letter.

Will the Minister explain why she approved the closure of Dale Abbey school without first ensuring that the closure would not take place midway through an academic year? Will she further explain why, when she discovered that the local authority intended to close the school with indecent haste this Easter, she did not use her powers to defer the closure?

When a local authority has been given permission to close a school, after careful consideration of all the factors involved, it is always for that authority to decide when the closure should be implemented. Derbyshire had indicated in its initial proposals that it was thinking of closing the school this Easter. It is a matter within the discretion of the authority. Once the decision to allow the authority to close the school has been made, the timing is up to the authority. The hon. Gentleman is mistaken if he thinks that we have power to order the authority to defer the closure once we have given permission for the school to be closed.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, Mr. Speaker, I beg to give notice that I shall seek an early opportunity to raise the matter on the Adjournment.