asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has considered the Chester Report on Association Football; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, arising out of the Report on Association Football, he has now had discussions with the Football League Management Committee or other interested football authorities, with a view to action on this Report; and what conclusion he has reached.

As I made clear when the Chester Report was published, its wide-ranging recommendations will need the most careful consideration by all concerned. This will inevitably take time. The first discussions that I have held have been with the Football Association of Wales, as a result of which a joint working party has been established with the Sports Council to consider the future developments and financial structure of Welsh soccer against the background of the Chester Report.

Would not my hon. Friend agree that violence on the field is a contributory factor in causing violence off the field? Does he not agree that there is an urgent need for a disciplinary committee to be set up under an independent chairman as recommended by the Chester Committee so that clubs themselves could be disciplined along with players for breaches on the field which can only damage the good name of football?

That specific matter is a question for the Football Association and one which I shall pursue with the Association when I meet it. There is an independent Committee sitting under the chairmanship of Sir John Lang on the whole question of hooliganism. It hopes to report and to make recommendations early in the New Year.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that violence off the field in connection with supporters' clubs is something he ought to concern himself with? Has he proposals in that direction? As he will doubtless understand, there is a rule that when a team is bottom of the league and doing badly the manager resigns. Does he not think it time that he persuaded his colleagues, since the country is getting into that position, that they should resign?

It is encouraging to think that the hon. Member does not want people to resign in such circumstances. It is wrong to think that football supporters' clubs are responsible for this violence. I think it is the other way round, for they have a very good influence. The question of violence is one which Sir John Lang and his Committee are looking into.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has now considered the Byers Report on Athletics; and what representations he has had about it.

The report of the Byers Committee was made to the Amateur Athletic Association and the British Amateur Athletic Board which commissioned the inquiry and it is for the athletics bodies to consider its recommendations. I have had one meeting with representatives of all the bodies concerned and I am looking forward to meeting them again once they have formulated their views.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is a feeling among top athletes that the administrative set-up under which they have to perform is out of date and that they are prevented from achieving their full potential? They feel that the set-up is so out-dated that they are penalised when they perform in world events.

Order. There are a lot of Questions on the Order Paper.

I cannot answer for the A.A.A., but there is a growing appreciation on all sides by athletes and authorities that we need a much greater professionalism in our administration, and we want to bring this about.

What reply has the hon. Gentleman given to the British Amateur Athletic Board's proposals for a national coaching scheme?

I have not yet had such formal proposals put before me, but I hope to meet the bodies concerned very soon when their views are formulated.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to set up a national centre for reading research.

No, Sir. I do not think this is necessary.

Would my right hon. Friend agree that the recent publication, "Crisis in the Classroom", underlines the need for improving standards of literacy in primary schools? Is it not the case that at the moment many technical advances in the teaching of reading are not passed on because there is no body to do this job?

I do not think the publication to which my hon. Friend has referred gives a balanced picture. There have been four-yearly surveys of reading ability since 1948. These show steadily rising standards. In addition, a great deal of research is being done on the I.T.A. Some of it was instituted by the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Handsworth (Sir E. Boyle) and, since then, the Schools Council has instituted more.

Does not all this recent research reveal that because trainee teachers in colleges of education are not being taught how to teach a child to read, the standard of literacy in our schools is abysmally low and getting lower?

The hon. Gentleman could not be more wrong about anything than he is about that. The quality of teaching in the primary and infant schools has improved out of all recognition over the last two decades.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of the 3 per cent. increase in local authority expenditure in 1969–70 he estimates will be spent on education.

Nearly two-thirds, giving an estimated increase in educational expenditure of 34 per cent. over 1968–69.

While thanking my right hon. Friend for that reply, may I tell him that we on these benches always want to see him winning the competition with the Minister of Defence in this matter? Is he aware that we hope that he can give the House an assurance that there will be no saving or economising on numbers of teachers employed?

I can give my hon. Friend the assurance for which she asks. The expenditure on education next year will exceed defence expenditure for the first time in our history. On her other point, I have not cut down by a single one on the number of teachers the local authorities have told me they wish to employ next year.

We are to debate this matter on Monday, but can the right hon. Gentleman say how he can be sure of the 3¾ per cent. figure in view of the responsibility given to local authorities under the rate support grant procedure?

I cannot be sure of it. What I am really saying is that in computing the rate support grant figure we have agreed with the local authorities on the apportionment of a 3·7 per cent. increase for education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now state in what area of education expenditure the recent savings of £4 million on school meals will he spent.

These savings, and others made in the course of the normal processes of managing the expenditure programmes, have increased the resources available for the carrying out of our policy generally. It is impossible to relate a particular saving to a particular new development.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that he was reported in the Press recently as saying that this money would be used to provide 2,000 nursery classes under the social needs programme, which, of course, would cost something like £16 million at costs estimated by the Department? I am sure that he would want to correct that. Is he also aware that many of us on these benches want to see that money used for the purposes he indicated?

One cannot hypothecate bits of expenditure and say that a certain sum of money will be used for a certain purpose. The urban programme, in which nursery schools will play a very big part, will cost about £25 million over the next four years. In addition, the recent rate support grant negotiations, as the White Paper showed, mean that about £55 million more will be spent on education next year.

Does the right hon. Gentleman not think that it would be better to use some of this money to bring in educational systems of which democratically elected majorities approve, rather than compel them by withholding funds to bring in educational systems of which neither they nor the majority of their electors approve?

I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman is behind the times. What is now compelling the reactionary local authorities is public opinion.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what will be the cost of removing to York the Transport Museum now at Clapham; what will be the net effect on public funds of disposing of the existing premises at York and Clapham and acquiring new premises at York; and what estimate he has made of the net annual cost to public funds of running the combined Museum at York.

The estimated cost of moving the selected items to the new Museum is about £100,000. It is expected that capital costs of providing the new Museum at York, including the £100,000 already mentioned, will be met from the proceeds of the sale of the existing museums at Clapham and York. The net annual running cost of the new Museum at York is estimated at about £34,000, compared with a corresponding estimated cost of approximately £50,000 for maintaining the existing museums at Clapham and York.

As the financial savings to be gained from destroying the museums at Clapham and York and building a smaller one at York are so small, are we forced back on the reason advanced by the Minister earlier this year for the move—in spite of the fact that York is a more difficult place to get at—namely, that it is easier for the exhibits to be accommodated? Is this not an extraordinary reason for the move in view of the very small financial saving? Will she please think again?

I can assure my hon. Friend that a good deal of thought has been given to this matter. Clapham is unsuitable, even the Clapham authorities admit this. It is rigid inside, it is immobile. There was a belief that St. Pancras and other buildings in London were available, but that was not so. After a great deal of consideration it was thought that, since the Railways Board is decanting this into our Ministry, to have one really first class museum would be in the best interests of people generally. It is also in keeping with Government policy in having some points of excellence outside of London.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the citizens of the finest city in the country——

Oh.

—are grateful that she is standing firm against these onslaughts from the back benchers? Is she aware that the British Railway Museum at York was the only one which made a profit, which is some indication of its attraction as a tourist centre? We hope in York that this combined museum will greatly stimulate the city's tourist trade.

Does the right hon. Lady not agree that one of the important things is that this great collection should not be broken up? Is she absolutely convinced that the site chosen at York is sufficiently large to keep the bulk of this collection together?

I am informed that some items are not first-class and that there will be certain selected items moved from London to York. There is the possibility of mobility and expansion in York which does not exist on any site which could possibly be made available elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in preparation for the granting of votes at 18, he will seek powers to provide for the teaching in secondary schools of a greater awareness of Parliamentary and municipal democracy and an understanding of its working.

Local education and school authorities are responsible for the school curriculum and I would not be justified in seeking special powers in respect of a particular area of study. Many schools already devote a good deal of time to the study of local and central government and further developments in this area are to be expected. Good teaching—of any subject—which imparts the ability to weigh evidence and arrive at sound conclusions is the best safeguard of democracy.

While appreciating that, may I ask my right hon. Friend if she will take steps to encourage the rapid extension and development of the teaching of civics on a strictly non-party basis?

I am fully in agreement with my hon. Friend in wanting to see more of this introduced in schools. A great deal is already being done. We shall be pleased to do anything we can to encourage more. My hon. Friend would agree that special powers for this would be the wrong way to tackle it.

Has the Minister any information about what proportion of children have the opportunity of choosing this subject? Is she aware that in Scottish schools, where the subject is available, it is one of the most popular subjects? Could she therefore recommend that more senior schools offer this subject?

I could not say how many pupils study this subject. In most schools it is one which senior pupils take. I am interested in what the hon. Lady says about Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received requesting the Government to reconsider their policy with regard to the 300 GeV nuclear accelerator planned by C.E.R.N.; and what reply he has sent.

Apart from the Parliamentary representations with which the hon. Gentleman is familiar, I have received representations form the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Mr. David Price), the Secretary of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs and a number of individual nuclear physicists. In addition, the Chairman of the C.S.P., while not asking the Government to reconsider their decision, did express his deep regret that the Government had found it necessary to decide against participation. The views expressed and my replies are covered by the discussions on the 300 GeV accelerator in the Consolidated Fund Bill debate on 24th July.—[Vol. 769, c. 808–30.]

While thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask whether she has given further consideration to the recommendation of the Nuclear Physics Board, that not only should we participate in this project, but that our participation could be paid for by reducing expenditure on existing obsolescent accelerators.

We have given some consideration to the matter. As the hon. Gentleman will be aware the Nuclear Physics Board bases its proposals on the assumption that the site would he in Britain and there are strong indications that the site would not be in this country.

Apart from the justified requirements of particle physics, would it not help us in Bonn to be slightly more flexible?

May I make it quite clear that the C.E.R.N. Convention which is being drawn up makes it possible for countries to participate at a later stage if the situation should change. It would therefore be possible for this country still to enter the project.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what reports he has received on the effect on the school meals service of the withdrawal of teacher supervision, at meal times; and if he will make a statement.

Through the Inspectorate I have been kept in close touch with the situation. In general, the new arrangements are working satisfactorily, although pockets of difficulty exist in some areas.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is difficulty in at least one school in my constituency where the school meals service is threatened with breakdown, as it is proving impossible to recruit supervisory staff and an intolerable burden is being put on the headmaster? What advice or comfort has the Secretary of State to offer those concerned?

I realise that there are difficulties in three schools in the hon. Gentleman's constituency, particularly at the Winston Churchill School. I greatly regret these difficulties. They are for the teachers and local authority to work out between them, and they can call on their national associations for help.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that the ladies who work in school kitchens and those who supervise children at mealtimes and afterwards have very low rates of pay and have hours which fluctuate weekly? As a result of the alteration of school hours after B.S.T. was introduced, some of them had a reduction in their hours on the Monday morning when they were due to work. Will my right hon. Friend ask local authorities to bring some stability into the hours of work of these people?

I am sure that local authorities are looking at the question of hours. The difficulty arises in areas where there is no surplus, areas such as that of my hon. Friend. I have responsibility for many things, but I am not responsible for the rates of pay.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of the total cost, including the administrative costs of local education authorities, of his decision to institute and then repeal free school meals for families of over three children.

Information on which to base an estimate is not available.

is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the brining of this scheme into operation in April caused confusion, extravagance and waste and that taking it out again in November is official bungling on a scale unprecedented even for the present Government?

It has been none of these things. We are taking it away from those who can afford to pay for it—and I take it that the hon. Gentleman agrees with that—so that we can use the resources to better advantage.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning the level of further education awards payable to medical students; and what reply he has given.

I have received representations from some hon. Members and from about 25 medical students. I have explained that any further review of student grants must depend on the economic situation.

Does not my hon. Friend agree that the financial situation of medical students in relation to that of other students is in grave need of review, and will she accept from me, as one who has been through the mill, that one of the factors involved in ensuring a proper spread of recruitment of students to the medical school is essentially the availability of funds? Will she look into the problem sympathetically?

My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that we have already done so. Medical students have a 48-week term in most cases, and most university students have a 30-week term. The extra attendance allowance to medical students was increased by the whole of the Brown Panel's recommendation whereas the increase in grant for most university students went up by half the Brown recommendation. Also, the evidence which we have shows that medical students do not spend the whole of their additional grant for books, equipment and special clothing on these things.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue a circular to local education authorities concerning the recruitment of children of differing abilities into comprehensive schools.

This is a matter for local education authorities and governors of schools to consider in the light of their varying circumstances, including the need for the effective organisation and development of the schools in their areas and also the wishes of the parents.

That is a disappointing reply. Does not my right hon. Friend realise that it is possible to sabotage comprehensive programmes—which is what is suspected is being done in the Inner London Education Authority's area—by restricting the recruitment of children of higher ability to comprehensive schools in order to encourage their recruitment to slowly deteriorating grammar schools? Will my right hon. Friend give proper guidance on this matter?

No, Sir; my hon. Friend ought to look at the London scheme a little more objectively. It has come in for some criticism, but on the whole, given the existence of a number of good grammar schools, it works out reasonably fairly. The education authority modified the original distribution of the higher ability group, but the new arrangement this year has worked reasonably well, and I understand that the authority, in consultation with teachers, has decided to continue it.

I do not accept the implications of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question and I welcome greatly the answer which the right hon. Gentleman gave, but does not this question of the need to ensure a balanced intake into comprehensive schools show the tremendous difficulty of legislating to end all forms of selection?

We wish to see the end of selection, which I believe to be one of the biggest remaining social injustices in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to make a statement on the First Report of the Public Schools Commission.

The Government are still considering the Report and I cannot yet give a firm date for a statement, although I hope this will be possible early in 1969.

Why is it taking the right hon. Gentleman so long to make up his mind, when the Labour Party conference made up its mind quite firmly in October and rejected the Report? In the light of the new Labour Party rule, is the Minister to appear before his party committee?

It is taking time because it is a long and complicated Report with 50 recommendations. The Commission spent a great deal of time on it, and the least I can do is to pay close attention to its recommendations and consult a great many people about them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now disband the Commission on the Public Schools.

No, Sir.

In view of the fairly general derision with which the majority Report was received, including that expressed by the Minister of State at the Labour Party conference, would it not be better to spend the money now being spent on this Commission on more directly useful educational purposes?

No, Sir. The second part is particularly important because it deals with the direct grant schools; these are one of the great impediments in the way of secondary reorganisation throughout the country, and it is most important that the problem should be looked at in depth.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether it is his intention in his forthcoming legislation to seek powers to override the policies of local education authorities in respect of selection at ages other that 11 years.

I cannot at present add to my recent statement that the next major Education Bill will provide that secondary education is to be nonselective.

Does that answer mean that the right hon. Gentleman rejects not only selection at 11 but selection at any age?

What I reject is the division of children at the age of 11, determining the rest of their educational careers and, therefore, the rest of their careers.

Does my right hon. Friend recall that in a recent Answer he said that he hoped we should be able to legislate in this Parliament on comprehensive legislation, and does he realise that many of us on this side are waiting anxiously for that hope to be turned into reality very soon?

I am well aware of that. It is not only the opinion in the House but, as I said in reply to an earlier Question, there is now a great upsurge of public opinion on this matter in the country.

The original Question relates to selection after 11. Will the right hon. Gentleman confirm that it would not be his idea to interfere with schemes involving selection at 13, as in Kent (Thamesside), Doncaster and Middlesbrough, which are widely accepted by public opinion locally as providing a flexible means of doing away with the old-fashioned strict bipartite system of selection at 11?

We look at each case carefully on its merits. I could not give a general answer on that today. We must be careful to ensure that we do not in the end have the same result as we have now.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will make a statement on his decision on the plans for sixth form education reorganisation in North Devon;

I have received no formal proposals for amendment of the plan approved in principle in 1966, but I know that the local education authority is reviewing the position.

There is serious and justified concern in the area at the removal of sixth-form education from the grammar schools and the effects which this may have. Will the right hon. Lady take into account the wishes of the people in the area and consult them thoroughly before any decision is made?

Yes, Sir; in coming to a decision I shall take all opinion into consideration. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman understands that it is impossible for me to comment in detail on a plan which I have not yet received.

I share the views expressed by the hon. Member for Torrington (Mr. Peter Mills). Is the right hon. Lady aware that the reorganisation of sixth-form education is a matter which stirs up great controversy, and will she agree that when any scheme comes to her it is right that the governors, the teachers and the parents should all have had full opportunity to make their opinions known to the education authorities, and that it would be the view of her Department that this should have been done?

Yes, of course. I always want the full range of opinion to be taken into consideration, and we shall consider all that opinion before the decision is taken. But we have not yet received any formal request from Devon.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. What protection have I, as a back-bencher, on the fact that Question 17 has nothing to do with Question 16? Can I have an answer to Question 17?

Order. The hon. Gentleman has no protection whatever. The Minister has power to answer or not.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research he is doing on the development of selective insecticides.

Rothamsted Experimental Station, which is largely supported by public funds through the Agricultural Research Council, has discovered and is developing a series of synthetic insecticides, some of which are highly selective.

When shall we know the result of the discussions of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on the use of the work at Porton and Nancekuke in this connection?

My hon. Friend is very good at asking unexpected supplementary questions. I can only say that that is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and not for my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will consider seeking powers to establish a national scheme for providing adequate insurance cover for amateur players in all sports; and if he will make a statement;

Insurance cover for amateur players is essentially a matter for the governing bodies of sport and the individuals concerned. The Central Council of Physical Recreation has recently drawn the attention of governing bodies to the value of having a comprehensive insurance scheme and is always ready to advise them on the introduction of a Scheme suited to their particular sport.

My hon. Friend and I have something in common. He referees in soccer, and I referee in rugby. Does he agree that consideration should be given to the provision of adequate cover in each sport, and to easy administration to enable voluntary workers in each sport to cover every player in the sport? Is he aware that a large number of injuries go unrecorded, and that therefore sports players are at a disadvantage compared with workmen under the Industrial Injuries Act?

I am aware of most of those considerations. My hon. Friend will be glad to know that since he put down the Question there has been a conference of 58 governing bodies in sport, and because the Question was put down I asked the Director of the Sports Council to draw their attention to the subject and to its importance.

Does the Minister agree that the normal insurance market at Lloyd's and the tariff companies is perfectly adequate to deal with such insurance?

There are very good insurance schemes available to sports clubs. I shall be glad and anxious to make them well known to those bodies which do not yet use them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress had been made with the University of the Air in designing courses, planning broadcasting time on radio and television and obtaining the necessary facilities at colleges and libraries; and if he will make a statement.

Agreement in principle has been reached between the B.B.C. and the Open University Planning Committee on arrangements for television and radio programmes up to 1975. Senior academic staff have been appointed who will plan the courses in partnership with the B.B.C. It is expected that from next spring regional directors of the university will be appointed, who will organise the provision of study facilities in their region.

Will my right hon. Friend ensure that an adequate proportion of the courses is orientated towards science and technology? Will any arrangements be made to obtain facilities in scientific laboratories, for computer usage and things of that type, which are essential to such courses?

The distinction and qualifications of the Vice-Chancellor-elect and of the Planning Committee should reassure my hon. Friend that scientific and technical interests will be fully guarded. There is a certain controversy about how much laboratory space is necessary on some scientific courses, but a combined operation is being carried out by many authorities, covering many universities, and provision will be made for laboratory as well as non-laboratory study.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he now expects classes of the University of the Air to commence; how many students it is estimated will enrol in the first year; and what steps are to be taken to obtain these students.

Enrolment of students will begin in 1970 and courses are expected to start in January, 1971. It is not feasible to estimate the numbers now, but the university will provide an advisory and information service to potential students through its regional offices.

Does my right hon. Friend accept that one of the great difficulties in universities and advanced colleges at present is a lack of pure career places in courses, and that it is essential, if the university is to succeed in obtaining and keeping sufficient students, that the courses should be vocational? Will she consider having a careers advisory service coupled with the new university?

There is a great deal of old-fashioned and out-moded thought on what is vocational and what is non-vocational. I hope that a university geared to the future will be able to cope with this kind of problem adequately. My hon. Friend will find that great care is being taken to establish a students' advisory service, which will either advise them to seek their higher education through full-time courses or some form of sandwich block-release courses at existing universities or technical colleges or advise them to take a preparatory course if they are not yet ready for the degree work of the Open University. In other words, the question is very fully covered.

What researches are being done not only into the probable enrolment but into the probable rate of drop-out?

This is one of those cases where one does not know what will happen until it begins to happen [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Hon. Members opposite know that that is a straightforward statement of fact, and that in making provision for a course of this kind it is realised that there will, of course, be drop-outs. The advisory service will tell students who are not ready for this standard of education where they can improve their basic education. We are satisfied that the scheme is not only essential but very much overdue. I hope that those who have any doubts abut it will appreciate that the riots in Paris and Rome and the little local troubles show that we now have a problem of numbers which we must meet. I do not know any other way that we can meet it.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science it he will make a statement about the process of raising the school-leaving age in 1972–73.

As I informed the House on 1st November, I hope to make an announcement before long on the special building programme allocation for raising the school-leaving age.

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that there will be no hindrance to the commitment to raise the school-leaving age in 1972–73 either by the building programme or by the supply of teachers?

When I make my statement on the building programme, which will be a generous programme, I shall also make a statement about other related matters concerned with raising the school-leaving age.

In view of the current uneasiness in the teaching profession, may I press the Minister further? What further steps does he contemplate to keep up the level of teacher recruitment between now and the 1970s?

I take it that the hon. Gentleman has seen the figures for intake to colleges of education. I am also publishing in the next few days some projections into the future, which I hope will give him all the information he requires

Is the Minister aware that it is not the intake that bothers us but the cutting down, as announced by some authorities, of the take-up of part-time teachers? When does he hope to make a statement on this subject? We feel that it is very urgent that one should be made.

I think that the right hon. Gentleman means on teacher supply, and not the raising of the school-leaving age. The number of part-time teachers this year is 1,000 up on last year in full-time equivalents, so there has been no overall cutting down but considerable building up. As I said just now, I shall be publishing before Christmas projections of teacher supply and demand stretching well into the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to ensure that the North of England gets a larger share of public expenditure on the arts.

The Northern Arts Association will be receiving £85,000 this year, nearly six times as much as any other English arts association. The Arts Council's direct expenditure in the Northern Region in 1967–68 was £155,822, and this excluded expenditure on national and touring companies, other national organisations, and on administration.

Does the right hon. Lady realise that these figures show that the North gets a raw deal? Why is it that money is poured by the Arts Council into London and the South-East and into Scotland and Wales in particular, whose culture and artistic needs merit no more attention than those of other parts of England, such as the North?

I am delighted to hear the note of indignation in the hon Gentleman's voice and I hope that he will do everything possible to stir up interest in serious art in the North. For historical reasons, other parts of the country have great theatres, great orchestras and great museums to be maintained. I am sorry that these do not exist as we would like them to exist in the North, and I hope that the hon Gentleman will encourage local interest in them. I assure him that, wherever local interest is shown, the Arts Council is only too willing to come to the rescue and encourage it.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that, unless the Arts Council acts with a sense of urgency, there will shortly be a shortage of live theatres in the North, since a major circuit is proposing to sell its theatres? With the best will in the world, the Arts Council will not be able to spend more in the North unless it steps in now with aid to local authorities in buying the theatres concerned.

A careful study is being made by the Arts Council of our theatre, including commercial as well as repertory theatres. The simple answer is that the arts now receive twice as much as they did before. This additional money has stimulated a great deal of additional interest, for which I am most grateful, and I hope that right hon. and hon. Members on both sides will continue to agitate for higher priority for the arts.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance he has given to local education authorities about providing free school milk to children in private schools.

None, Sir.

If there is to be a division whereby those who are in private schools do not get free milk while those in the State schools do, would it not be preferable if it were based on the wealth of the parents rather than on the school which the child attends?

The discretion offered is exactly the same as that which has operated under the Act since 1944. I find it odd that, at a time when hon. Members opposite are continually asking for cuts in public expenditure, they should request us to spend public money on people who have opted out of the State system of education.

Will my hon. Friend state the amount, which I believe has been ascertained, of subsidies to public schools at present?

I cannot do so without notice.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now introduce legislation to give him that degree of overall control over the appointment and dismissal of staff in institutions of further education which he already has over such action in the schools.

This is one of the matters which I intend to review in due course in connection with my proposed Education Bill. Among other things, there are relevant recommendations in the report of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps the Schools Council is taking to improve the religious studies curriculum in the schools.

A committee of the Council keeps religious education under review. The Council is mounting a project in primary schools and is considering the possibility of another in the secondary field. Several current projects also have a bearing on religious education.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many of the people engaged in these projects on religious education are coming increasingly to the conclusion that the compulsory requirement for religious education and the agreed syllabus that goes with it is, at the moment, the biggest single obstacle to getting the sort of genuine syllabus for moral education that the Secretary of State has so often said he is so keen on?

If my hon. Friend is right in that assumption, this will be apparent when we receive the results of these projects.

Does the right hon. Lady appreciate that the views expressed by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Christopher Price) are shared by quite a large number of those who have a very deep interest in this subject? But does she not feel that those who are at work on it, notably the Bishop of Durham's Committee, should be listened to before she makes any major changes?

Yes, Sir. Before making any major changes—if, indeed, changes are necessary—we shall listen to all views, including those mentioned by the hon. Gentleman.