To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which bodies will be involved in the investigation into allegations of misinformation concerning the grant maintained ballot at Hurworth school; what are their terms of reference; and how much the investigation will cost. [5778]

[holding answer 14 December 1995]: My officials have written to the chairman of the governing body of Hurworth school and the local education authority inviting their comments on the allegations. This is in accordance with normal departmental procedures. As with all other such investigations, officials will review the evidence submitted taking account of any other available information. The costs of the investigation to the Department will largely depend on the time spent by the officials concerned as part of their normal duties and cannot readily be identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many complaints about disinformation she has received in connection with ballots on grant-maintained status; how many such complaints she has investigated; how many of the complaints investigated have been upheld; and how much, in total, investigations into such complaints have cost. [5779]

[holding answer 14 December 1995]: My Department receives a considerable volume of correspondence about ballots on grant-maintained status, and information on the number of letters complaining about misinformation is not available. Since the implementation in January 1994 of section 31(1)(g) of the Education Act 1993, my Department has received complaints of misinformation leading to a formal investigation concerning 35 ballots. Of the completed cases, two complaints relating to misinformation have been upheld and the ballots—one of which resulted in a yes vote, and in one a no vote—were declared void. The costs of such investigations to the Department largely depend on the time spent by the officials concerned as part of their normal duties and cannot readily be identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in respect of each school which has been the subject of a formal inquiry by her Department into the running of its ballot on opt-out status, in which instances was (a) a letter sent by her to the local hon. Member informing them of the setting up of the inquiry, (b) was the letter also released to the press and (c) did the letter contain references to the hon. Member's spouse or child. [5937]

[holding answer 14 December 1995]: In the case of Hurworth school in Durham, serious allegations had been made in the press relating to its ballot for grant-maintained status, and it was reported that the head teacher of the school had written to the right hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) expressing his concern. In the light of these circumstances, I considered it appropriate to write to the hon. Member as I did.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in respect of each school which has been

[holding answer 14 December 1995]: The available information indicates that inquiries into ballots on grant-maintained status have been announced in press releases relating to the following schools:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total cost so far to her Department of the decision to hold an inquiry into the ballot at Hurworth school. [5935]

[holding answer 14 December 1995]: The cost to my Department of the decision to hold an inquiry into the ballot at Hurworth school cannot readily be identified because the work has been undertaken by a number of officials as part of their normal duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list each school which has been the subject of a formal inquiry by her Department into the running of its ballot on opt-out status, and in each case indicating (a) who or what prompted her Department to launch a formal inquiry, (b) what had been the result of the ballot into which the inquiry was held and (c) what was the outcome of the inquiry, (d) what was the parliamentary constituency of the schools. [5936]

[holding answer 14 December 1995]: The following table shows such information as is readily available:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will arrange for all press releases and letters to hon. Members relating to every school which has been the subject of a formal inquiry by her Department into the running of its ballot on opt-out status to he placed in the Library. [5932]

[holding answer 14 December 1995]: Press releases which have been issued by my Department relating to inquiries into the running of ballots on grant-maintained status have been placed in the Library. Letters to hon. Members concerning school ballots on grant-maintained status are between my Department and the hon. Member concerned.