Clause 6 - Exemptions available to qualifying schools
Education Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Stephen Timms (Minister of State (School Standards), Department for Education and Skills; East Ham, Labour)
I welcome you and other hon. Members back to the Committee, Mr. Griffiths.
The hon. Gentleman made an interesting point. On Tuesday, we discussed the Government's intention to make as many exemptions available as possible as of right, although I gave the assurance that we shall consult widely before deciding which flexibilities should be available as of right and which should be discretionary.
I can reassure the Committee that we shall do everything possible to make sure that qualifying schools earn autonomy as quickly as possible. We intend to issue the orders in batches, perhaps monthly. Although we want to make the orders as quickly as possible, it would not be right to require in law that orders be granted within a fixed 28-day period. In practice, we hope to make orders more quickly than 28 days, but if, for example, several hundred applications were received at once, or if applications were sent in during a holiday period, that might not be possible.
I underline my assurance that the Department will act as quickly as possible in all circumstances. It would not be appropriate for our hands to be tied as tightly as they would be under the amendment, but I readily recognise the importance of the hon. Gentleman's point that the orders need to be made quickly.