Business of the House Debate

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Department: Leader of the House

Business of the House

Andrew Stephenson Excerpts
Thursday 10th November 2011

(12 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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We have had a statement on that issue. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was at this Dispatch Box a week ago and he answered the precise question that the hon. Gentleman has put. I refer him to Hansard.

Andrew Stephenson Portrait Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)
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In the past year, a £3.5 million rebuild of Whitefield infant school in Nelson and a £4.2 million total rebuild of Laneshawbridge primary school in Colne have been agreed. However, last Friday I visited Barnoldswick Church of England primary school, which has very cramped buildings. A rising birth rate in the area means that there is a lack of school places in the town. A total rebuild of the school is long overdue. May we have a debate on Government funding for additional school places?

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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I will draw my hon. Friend’s remarks to the attention of the Secretary of State for Education. We have put extra funding into additional school places, with a total of £1.3 billion. We have preserved the capital programme, despite the difficult decisions that we have had to take. I will ask my right hon. Friend to write to him about the school to which he referred.