asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what monitoring process his Department uses to ensure that text books used in schools contain nothing of a salacious, blasphemous or subliminal political nature.

The Department does not seek to monitor the teaching materials used in schools; decisions on such matters are for the schools themselves. We expect teachers to behave with due professional responsibility in this regard; any parent who is concerned about the use of a particular book should not hesitate to take the matter up with the school's headteacher and if necessary with the local education authority an ultimately with my right hon. Friend.