Clause 1 - Duties in relation to high standards and the fulfilment of potential
Education and Inspections Bill
10:30 am
David Chaytor (Bury North, Labour)
That is an important point that goes to the heart of my remarks. We understand that in their original White Paper, the Government made a case for separating the commissioning and providing functions. Personally, I think that a powerful case can be made for that separation with respect to secondary schools. The question, though, is what are the implications of the phrase in clause 1? Are we saying that it is envisaged that, at some point in the future, the provision of education by local authorities will be withdrawn completely? The rest of the Bill does not spell that out. It takes steps towards opening up the provision of education to a range of different providers, but does not argue unequivocally that commissioning and providing should be absolutely separate functions. It is worth drawing attention to that, so that the Minister may clarify her vision of the future role of local authorities in education provision.