asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the effect of a national curriculum on the ability of Cornish schools to teach the Cornish language.

The Government believe that there should be room in the national curriculum for appropriate local variations in response to local needs, although the scope for these will necessarily be limited. The way in which such variations should apply is one of the matters which will receive particular attention during the development of, and consultations on the national curriculum.