Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Bob Russell Excerpts
Monday 29th October 2012

(12 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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It is anyone’s right to pursue action through the courts if they believe that is the only way to secure a remedy, but the point that I would make, and have consistently made, and a point which was reinforced by the Chairman of the Select Committee, is that the design of those qualifications was flawed from the start, and it was not this Government who designed them.

Bob Russell Portrait Sir Bob Russell (Colchester) (LD)
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I am sure that forward thinking and value for money are part of the Department for Education’s thinking. With that in mind, does the Secretary of State agree that it would be silly to remove permanently surplus places in secondary education, when it is known, as is set out in question 24, that youngsters coming through the system will need those places in three or four years’ time?

David Laws Portrait The Minister for Schools (Mr David Laws)
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I think my hon. Friend has specific concerns about issues in his constituency in relation to some of the smaller secondary schools. I would be happy to meet him to discuss whether there is some way that we can support his understandable desire to make sure that there is capacity for future children in those schools.