asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps to require, in the case of a governing body of a school, appointed to hold office from 1 April in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1980 and having a general power to co-opt a specified number of additional members, that such power of co-option should be exercised as soon as possible, and that co-option should be in every case for the full term for which the co-opting governors are themselves appointed; and if he will make a statement.

Governors cannot be required to exercise any powers of co-option that they may have under their instruments of government. I would hope, however, that they would consider using such powers to make themselves as representative as possible of the communities served by their schools.