School Journeys (Charges)

Oral Answers to Questions — Education and Science – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 30 November 1967.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Sir Eric Errington Sir Eric Errington , Aldershot 12:00, 30 November 1967

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will advise education authorities not to charge some secondary school pupils for journeys to and from schools of under 10 miles, while others are not charged for such journeys, and thereby eliminate discrimination.

Photo of Miss Alice Bacon Miss Alice Bacon , Leeds South East

No, Sir. A local education authority has a statutory duty to provide transport or to bear the cost of travel for a secondary pupil where the nearest suitable school is more than three miles from the pupil's home. Where the pupil attends some other school, arrangements for assistance with the cost of travel are at the discretion of the authority.

Photo of Sir Eric Errington Sir Eric Errington , Aldershot

Does the right hon. Lady not realise that two sets of people depend on a particular date, before which pupils going to school have to pay and after which they do not? Will she do something about this?

Photo of Miss Alice Bacon Miss Alice Bacon , Leeds South East

I realise that, in the case which the hon. Gentleman has in mind, there is an anomaly, but, if the local education authority had applied the change retrospectively, there would have been other anomalies. But my right hon. Friend can take no action, since the Hampshire local authority is being more generous than it is legally required to be.