Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government which local authorities have submitted applications to launch their own multi-academy trusts as part of the pilot scheme.

The department has received 29 registrations of interest from local authorities interested in establishing a multi-academy trust through a test-and-learn exercise. The department is withholding the release of the names of the local authorities who submitted a registration of interest, as it has previously applied a Freedom of Information Act exemption to this information: Section 35(1)(a) relating to the formulation and development of government policy.

The department undertook a public interest test as required by the Act and concluded that not disclosing the information outweighed the public interest in disclosure.

The department will publish the names of the successful applications for the test-and-learn in due course.