Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Laws and Karen Buck

Monday 27th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Ms Karen Buck (Westminster North) (Lab)]

Hon. Members and local authorities across the country have expressed concern about the shortage of school places. Why, then, does the Minister think that Westminster city council had 235 empty primary school places this summer and has suffered a 16% drop in applications for primary schools since 2011?

[Mr Laws]

As the hon. Lady will have heard, we have allocated £5 billion in basic needs funding across this Parliament and we have fully reversed the massive decline in primary school places that took place under the last Labour Administration.