asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if she will list the members who represented her Department on the working party which produced circular 16/78 "The Development of Sporting Talent in Children of School Age";(2) what consultations took place between her Department and teachers of physical education through their professional body the Physical Education Association before circular 16/78 "The Development of Sporting Talent in Children of School Age" was produced.

Circular 16/78 was issued jointly by my Department, Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office to convey the findings of a specialist working party established by the Minister responsible for sport and recreation. Its members were:

• Miss E. G. Pollard, HMI (Staff inspector for physical education)
• Mr. P. MacGregor (Director of Recreation, City of Coventry)
• Mr. C. Sayer (Co-ordinator of Technical Services, Sports Council)
• Mr. W. Slater (Director of Physical Education, University of Birmingham)
• Dr. V. Thomas (Director of Physical Education, Liverpool Polytechnic).

The working group did not seek evidence from the specialist teachers' associations. Departmental consultations on the draft circular were held with the local authority associations and the main teachers' unions.