Mrs. Slater:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has studied the Stoke-on-Trent Plan for Education; and when the city may expect a decision.

Representatives of the authority discussed their plan with officers of my Department last February. The next step is for the authority to publish notices of their proposals under Section 13 of the Education Act, 1944, and I understand that this has been done. The statutory period for objections must then run, and in the light of any objections received, I shall then consider my decision.

Mrs. Slater:

While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for saying that all the procedure is now going ahead, may I ask him, in view of the time that has been taken for the working out of this scheme and the great importance of the scheme to the planning in the city, whether he could say that once all this procedure has been gone through we can expect a very early decision on the scheme?

As the hon. Lady knows, I have to observe something like judicial impartiality about these cases, but, obviously, I will try to avoid any undue delay.