Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993

My hon. Friend makes a good point about the complete failure of the Government’s austerity agenda. Earlier, the Chief Secretary mentioned the case of nursery schools. Many school and nursery school heads are experiencing a continuing programme of austerity, which is actually due to get worse. She mentioned that she had a brief conversation with her colleague in the Education Department. [Interruption.] However long the conversation was. The message I have had from headteachers is quite to the contrary; actually, a very short stay of execution has been given, for just one year, when the headteachers that I speak to in my Reading constituency need a long-term programme of sustainable investment in nursery schools, rather than warm words.