Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Lucas Excerpts

Monday 6th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

There were just over 200 academies in May 2010—203, I believe—and there are now more than 3,000. As Ofsted reported in its most recent annual report, the biggest increase in the quality of good and outstanding lessons ever in the history of the inspectorate has occurred under this Government.

[Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)]

2. How many applications his Department has received to establish free schools; and what proportion of such applications have been successful.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove)]

The Government received 1,103 applications to establish free schools in the first four rounds of applications and 27% of those applications were approved.

[Caroline Lucas]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for his response. Why has his Department been using all its legal might to prevent the release of free school applications and decision letters, even after the Information Commissioner ruled that there was a strong public information argument in favour of releasing them? Surely if public money is being used, in the public interest there has to be an absolute right for that information to be put in the public domain.