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Airborne Anti-armour weapon
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a decision on the advanced airborne anti-armour weapon SR(A)1238.
Mr. Alan Clark : We have decided not to proceed with the advanced airborne anti-armour weapon to SR(A) 1238 at this stage ; further decisions will not be made until the way forward from the "Options for Change" exercise is clear. In the light of altered circumstances, we may wish to consider designs to less stringent criteria than had previously been required.
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ENVIRONMENT
Drinking Water
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the incidence and levels of (a) tetrachloroethylene, (b) trichloro-ethylene and (c) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking water ; if the levels detected have in any case exceeded World Health Organisation guidelines ; and if he will discuss with his European Community counterparts the establishment of maximum advisable concentrations in respect of each of these chemicals.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 set standards for tetra-chloroethylene and trichloroethylene of 10 and 30 microgram/litre respectively as annual averages. These are based on tentative guideline values promulgated by the World Health Organisation. No specific standards for tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene are laid down in the EC drinking water directive. Comprehensive information about the current incidence and levels of tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene in drinking water is not, at present, held centrally. The drinking water inspectorate is aware of a few public supplies which exceed the standards for these substances. The water companies concerned have either taken the supplies out of service or have given undertakings under section 20 of the Water Act 1989 to introduce treatment by 1994 in order to reduce the levels. Because of the safety margins allowed, medical advice is that public health is not endangered by those supplies which are continuing in use.
The Water Quality Regulations incorporate the standard of 0.2 microgram/litre for six specified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) laid down in the EC directive. They also set a national standard, based on the WHO guideline value, of 0.01 microgram/litre as an annual average for benzpyrene, an individual PAH.
At the request of my Department and the Welsh Office water undertakers carried out a comprehensive survey of their supplies in early 1989 to establish levels of PAH in drinking water. Of approximately 6,250 samples, 44--0.7 per cent.--contained concentrations in excess of standards mentioned above. These results indicate that there is not a general problem with PAH in drinking water. Where a high concentration of PAH is confirmed water companies carry out remedial programmes comprising relining or replacing water mains or flushing.
I see no need at present for any additional EC standards for these substances.
River and Harbour Pollution
Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest available figure for the average fine imposed by magistrates courts in the south-west of England for river and harbour pollution.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Information collected by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department shows that, for cases brought under sections 31 or 32 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 as the principal offence, the average fine imposed by magistrates courts in 1988 for water pollution offences in the south-west was £570.
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London Residuary Body
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the salary, expenses and other emoluments paid annually to the chairman of the London residuary body, and the estimated figures for 1991, following the reappointment announced on 26 June for the period to March 1993.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The chairman's current annual
emoluments--salary and pension scheme contributions--are £63,530 and will rise to £64,165 from 1 January 1991. The total expenses paid to the chairman and LRB board members in 1988-89, the latest year for which information is available, was £6,430.
Ventilation
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that an adequate number of fans are made available to hon. Members and staff working in those parts of the Palace where ventilation systems have been closed down for repair during the summer recess.
Mr. Chope : The Parliamentary Works Office has made arrangements for engineers control on extension 4747 to issue fans on request to those who need them.
Nuclear Waste
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Governments of Iceland, Denmark, Norway and the Faroes regarding proposals to increase the volume of reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel at Dounreay ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : My right hon. Friend has received representations from the Environmental Ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Norway and the Faroe Islands about reprocessing and radioactive waste disposal at Dounreay. He has also discussed this subject with the Danish Environment Minister.
Big Ben (Chime)
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the hour chime of Big Ben to be restored.
Mr. Chope : I hope early in August. The work to forge the new hammer arm has taken longer than expected.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the letter to him from Councillor Stewart Foster, of Leicester city council, dated 18 June, concerning student nurses and the poll tax ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I have written to Councillor Foster today.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library the address and telephone number of each of the bodies responsible for hearing community charge appeals against decisions of charging authorities in London.
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Mr. Portillo [holding answer 4 July 1990] : I have today placed copies of the information requested in the Library.
Quarrying, Marnhull
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to refuse any application for quarrying in Marnhull, Sturminster Newton, Dorset.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 4 July 1990] : No. I cannot give such a general policy assurance. Any application coming before the Secretary of State for determination is considered on its merits.
WALES
MIND
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what grant he has given to MIND in Wales for 1990-91 ; on what date MIND was notified of this grant ; what was the grant in preceding years ; and whether there is any change in the conditions for 1990-91 under which grant payment is offered.
Mr. Grist : Wales MIND applied on 4 June 1990 for a grant under section 64 of the Health Service and Public Health Act 1968. A decision will be notified shortly. Previous years' section 64 funding was as follows :
|£
----------------------
1987-88 |59,550
1988-89 |57,863
1989-90 |57,166
In addition, £96,500 has been allocated to Wales MIND in the current year in respect of developments to facilitate implementation of the Welsh Office mental illness strategy on an all-Wales basis. The only change in condition in 1990-91, common to all section 64 funding, is the introduction of a requirement that grant-aid made in respect of a capital asset has to be repaid if the asset is disposed of.
Registered Child Minders
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many registered child minders there are in Wales.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave on 22 May 1990, at column 123.
NHS and Community Care Act
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he intends to circulate to people in Wales regarding the implementation of the National Health Service and Community Care Act ; and what budget he has allocated for this purpose.
Mr. Grist : The booklet for circulation in Wales will explain the main changes taking place in the national health service and reflect the particular circumstances in the Principality. It is being prepared in a bilingual version. We shall provide a budget sufficient for distribution of the booklet to all households throughout Wales.
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General Practitioners (Prescribing)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines his Department has issued in the past 10 years in respect of (a) over-prescribing and (b) under-prescribing by general practitioners ; and if he will place in the Library a copy of all such guidelines currently in force.
Mr. Grist : I shall write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Nurseries and Playgroups
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of (a) registered pre-school nurseries and (b) registered playgroups for each academic year from 1970-71 to 1988-89 in (i) Wales as a whole and (ii) each county.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The available information on the numbers of registered pre-school nurseries and registered playgroups is shown in the table. Data prior to 1975 are not readily available.
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Wales|B|
Year |Pre-school |Play-groups
|nurseries
------------------------------------------------
1975 |47 |642
1976 |41 |696
1977 |34 |759
1978 |30 |800
1979 |33 |821
1980 |30 |895
1981 |28 |825
1982 |27 |877
1983 |34 |891
1984 |41 |902
1985 |43 |935
1986 |49 |944
1987 |58 |999
1988 |67 |1,040
1989 |85 |1,103
Community Care
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total expenditure on core community care services in Wales for each year since 1979 ; and how much and what percentage of the total was in respect of (a) community health, (b) his departmenal and (c) local authority expenditure.
Mr. Grist [holding answer 25 June 1990] : The information is not available in precisely the form requested.
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Expenditure by district health
authorities in Wales on community
health services<1> is shown at
Table 1:
Table 1
|Expenditure
|£ million
------------------------------------
<2>1981-82 |44.1
1982-83 |48.5
1983-84 |51.5
1984-85 |56.4
1985-86 |61.5
1986-87 |67.7
1987-88 |84.7
1988-89 |99.6
<1>Community health service costs
consist of preventative health
services (such as fluoridation,
vaccination and immunisation,
health education and health
visiting), school medical and
dental services, family planning
services and primary district
nursing services. Figures are
extracted from "Key Statistical
Indicators for National Health
Service Management in Wales"
published annually.
<2>Data for earlier years on a
comparable basis are not available
except at disproportionate costs.
Expenditure by local authorities in Wales on residential and domiciliary care is as follows :
Table 2 Local |Expenditure authorities |£ million ------------------------------------ 1979-80 |58.9 1980-81 |70.5 1981-82 |79.8 1982-83 |87.8 1983-84 |97.5 1984-85 |103.7 1985-86 |109.9 1986-87 |117.7 1987-88 |133.7 1988-89 |150.0
The expenditure shown in tables 1 and 2 was supplemented each year by direct Welsh Office funding under a number of arrangements, but details of all these amounts are not available except at disproportionate cost.
PRIME MINISTER
European Court of Justice
Q51. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions she has had with the heads of other European Community Governments concerning the powers of the European Court of Justice ; and if she will make a statement.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has not yet had any formal discussions on this issue with the heads of other European Community Governments.
Environmental Co-operation
Q169. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on the United Kingdom's contribution to international co- operation on environmental issues.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I have been asked to reply.
The Government work to protect the global environment through a wide range of international organisations including the European Community, the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic
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Co-operation and Development. We are playing an active part in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and we have led the call for an international convention on climate change. On 25 May this year my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that provided others are prepared to take their full share, Britain is prepared to set itself the very demanding target of returning carbon dioxide emissions to their current levels by 2005.Last week the Government hosted on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme the second meeting of the parties to the Montreal protocol which agreed important new measures to protect the ozone layer and to enable developing countries to play their part. It demonstrated the international co-operation we need to safeguard the global environment. We will continue to give support to UNEP's valuable work in this and other areas. We will also play a full and constructive role in preparations for the United Nations conference on environment and development which will be held in Brazil in 1992.
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 July.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is hosting the NATO summit meeting. This evening she will be attending a dinner for NATO given by Her Majesty the Queen.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Elderly People
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is supporting the designation of a European Year of Elderly People ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude : We intend to play a full part in the discussions on this and on other aspects of the Commission's communication. We shall do so on the basis that elderly people are as diverse as any other group in society and most lead active, independent lives.
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has made to the European Commission communication on aging (COM(90)80 FINAL).
Mr. Maude : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply of my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health on 3 July, Official Report, column 548.
Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the CSCE conference on the human dimension at Copenhagen ; and what has been the reaction of Her Majesty's Government towards the San Marino proposals for the Council of Europe to become the parliamentary dimension of the CSCE process.
Mr. Waldegrave : We welcome the successful conclusion of the second meeting of the conference on the human dimension, held in Copenhagen from 5 to 29 June. The
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meeting agreed a concluding document which represents a historic advance in CSCE participants' human rights commitments. It enshrines specifically proposals which the United Kingdom, together with other western countries, put forward, laying down the conditions which should be fulfilled for elections to be considered free and fair, and enumerating the principles for a sound legal system. The document also extends existing CSCE undertakings on freedom of expression, of association and peaceful assembly, and of movement, and reaffirms the participating states' respect for the rights of minorities. The explicit and universal adherence to these principles which the Copenhagen concluding document represents will be of great benefit in sustaining the process of democratic reform in eastern Europe. Copies of the concluding document are being placed in the Library of the House.The Copenhagen meeting also discussed participating states' implementation of their CSCE human rights commitments and reviewed the mechanism established at the 1989 Vienna CSCE follow-up meeting allowing participating states to monitor each others' human rights performance.
The United Kingdom and other CSCE member states will be considering the ways and means in which the Council of Europe can contribute to the human dimension of the CSCE process.
Romanian Children (Adoption)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on any action taken by the Romanian Government or any other agencies in that country to place a blockade or other hinderance upon the adoption of Romanian children by suitably qualified couples in the United Kingdom, including couples which have lodged suitable adoption papers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : We understand that final approval of adoption from overseas has been temporarily halted until the new Romanian Parliament decides which authority is to be responsible for the final approval. This decision should be taken soon. If necessary, we shall ask the Romanian authorities to allow adoptions for which Romanian and United Kingdom procedures have already been started, and which satisfy the stated requirements of both countries, to be completed and the child concerned released to the adoptive parents.
Burma
Mr. Lester : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Burmese Government about the recent elections in that country ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : The State Law and Order Restoration Council's abuse of the human and political rights of the Burmese people is well documented and has been repeatedly condemned. The surprisingly free and fair way in which the actual polling was conducted on 27 May was, therefore, all the more welcome. The official results now confirm that the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, has won an overwhelming victory.
On 29 May, the British Government urged the SLORC to give effect to the clearly expressed wish of the people of
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Burma and called for the early release of the imprisoned leaders of the democratic parties and for the unconditional lifting of martial law.On 6 June, the European Community called on the military regime to respect the results of the elections by handing over power to a Government chosen by the newly elected Parliament without delay and to release political leaders in detention immediately.
The British Government again call on the military regime to respond to the clearly expressed wish of the Burmese people for change. Along with our EC partners, we are ready to co-operate with the new Government, once it is formed. Meanwhile, existing policy will continue until the regime takes concrete steps to end the military rule which the Burmese people have so decisively rejected by initiating a constructive dialogue with opposition leaders at an early date.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Civil Research and Development
Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of Britain's gross domestic product is devoted to civil research and development ; and what information he has as to comparable figures for France and West Germany.
Mr. Jackson : A report published last year by the OECD showed that in 1985, the latest year for which figures are available 1.8 per cent. of the United Kingdom's GDP was attributable to estimated gross domestic expenditure on civil research and development. The corresponding figures for France and West Germany were 1.8 and 2.6 per cent. respectively.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to take further action to encourage schools to seek grant-maintained status.
Mrs. Rumbold : The 1988 Act gives parents and governors the opportunity to seek grant-maintained status for their school. There has been a rapid expansion in the number of grant-maintained schools and a lot of interest among parents and governors. I anticipate that there will be many more applications for GM status.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to make all local education authority secondary schools grant maintained.
Mrs. Rumbold : It is for parents and governors to decide whether to seek grant-maintained status for their school. My right hon. Friend will consider every application on its merits.
Financial Support, Bradford
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received regarding financial suppport for education in Bradford ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend has received a number of letters on this issue and I recently received a deputation from Bradford which included the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Cryer).
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Bradford has done well out of the change from the grant-related expenditure assessment for education to the standard spending assessment--the education component of its SSA is £179 million and is substantially higher than the comparable GRE figure for 1989 -90. This assessment should mean that the authority has a solid funding base for its education service in 1990-91.Bradford's annual capital guideline for 1990-91 was over £9 million. LEAs have been invited to submit their education capital expenditure plans for 1991-92 by 15 September. Bradford's needs will be considered sympathetically against an objective set of criteria, as will the needs of all other LEAs.
School Psychological Service
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to reduce the waiting lists for the school psychological service for pupils in Preston.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The operation of the school psychological service is a matter for local education authorities. I understand that the Lancashire LEA has recently reorganised the service and is in the course of making a number of additional appointments. The authority is currently reviewing the process by which pupils are referred to the service.
Student Grants
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in respect of the academic years 1988-89, 1989- 90 and 1990-91 the number of grants made available for students to study for vocational qualifications at colleges in Scotland in respect of each course at each college.
Mr. Jackson : Information about the number of grants made available by local authorities in England and Wales for students to study for vocational qualifications at colleges in Scotland is not available. Information about the number of such grants made available by the Scottish Education Department is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Further Education
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has made any assessment of the effect of community charge capping on the provision of further education ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has considered all the representations made to him by the capped authorities, including those about service delivery, together with all other information he considers relevant, and he is satisfied that the final caps he is proposing will permit them to maintain their services at a reasonable level.
Local Management of Colleges
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those local education authorities which have had their schemes for local management of colleges turned down by his Department.
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Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend has not turned down any schemes for the local management of colleges, though a number have been approved with modifications or conditions. The schemes for Barnet, Hereford and Worcester and Staffordshire have yet to be approved, though Hereford and Worcester and Staffordshire are operating schemes in advance of statutory approval.Management Information Systems
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in the allocation of education support grant funding to local education authorities in England and Wales for the development of management information systems in further education colleges.
Mr. Jackson : Between 1985-86 and 1989-90 education support grant allocations to local education authorities in England for the development of computerised management information systems in further education colleges supported £12.5 million expenditure. Commitments for 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 support a further £21 million. Allocation of education support grant funding for local education authorities in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will give details of his Department's role on the question of quality assurance relating to management information systems development.
Mr. Jackson : With local education authorities, the Department is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the use of education support grants to support expenditure on computerised management information systems (CMIS) in further education colleges. This is achieved by means of annual progress reports from LEAs, national surveys of developments in colleges, the observations of Her Majesty's inspectorate and studies by consultants. The Department is also in contact with the major suppliers of CMIS software to discuss their products.
School Reorganisation
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what guidance he gives to local education authorities as to under what sections of and schedules to the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 they should conduct the selection procedure for the headships of schools which have been part of a major schools reorganisation programme ;
(2) what steps he has taken to satisfy himself under the terms of section 68 of the Education Act 1944 that Leeds education authority is acting reasonably in the way it has decided to conduct the appointment of headships as part of the city's reorganisation of schools.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The Department's Circular 7/87 provides general guidance on the provisions of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 relating to the appointment of head teachers. Where a local education authority is reorganising its schools by closing two or more of them and opening new schools in their place paragraph 23 of schedule 2 to the 1986 Act allows the local education authority, in consultation with the temporary governing
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bodies of the new schools, to appoint one of the head teachers of the schools which are closing to be the first head teacher for the new school, provided that a substantial number of the pupils at the discontinued schools, taken together, are expected to transfer to the new school. In these circumstances the authority is empowered to make the appointment in this manner as an alternative to the procedures usually applying to the appointment of head teachers. These are set out in section 37 of the Act and provide for the local education authority to advertise the post and hold a selection panel comprising persons appointed by the authority and no less a number of governors. It is my understanding that in carrying through its reorganisation of its schools the Leeds education authority has elected to adopt the paragraph 23(2) procedures.Bursaries
Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will announce the postgraduate bursary rates payable in the academic year 1990-91.
Mr. MacGregor : I propose to set the main maintenance rates for bursaries offered under my Department's postgraduate awards scheme in the academic year 1990-91 as follows :
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