Oral Answers to Questions

Karl McCartney Excerpts

Monday 24th June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

I think it is a fantastic programme that the British Heart Foundation runs. One thing we have done is to provide finance to the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Association to work with partners such as the British Heart Foundation on providing programmes that really bring the subject to life in schools.

[Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)]

6. What funding his Department is providing to local authorities to address shortfalls in primary school places.

[The Minister for Schools (Mr David Laws)]

By the end of this Parliament, we will have made well over £5 billion available to local authorities to support the provision of additional pupil places, which is more than double what was provided by the previous Government over a comparable period.

[Karl MᶜCartney]

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer. Does he agree with me that when we are dealing with a shortage of school places, the last thing we need is an assault on valuable teachers in the independent sector, who face being mummified with red tape to appease the vested interests of the Labour party?

[Mr Laws]

I certainly agree with my hon. Friend that the last thing we need is more bureaucracy and regulation in the school system.