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Education and Inspections Bill

I thank the Minister. I found his response to Amendment No. 21 extremely helpful, and will leave it at that. I fully accept his points and take them on board. I want to think a bit more about AmendmentNo. 67, though, encouraged by the words ““encourage ambition””. I see and understand the Minister’s proposals on a range of measures a local authority should take on board. A lot of this is about the proof of the pudding and leaving it in the hands of local authorities, in practice, to take on board the different considerations and types of measures they could put in place on competitions and proposals for new schools, as well as thinking about how to deal with existing schools through other measures. I am somewhat appeased and placated by the Minister’s response, but will read with care what he has said in Hansard. For now, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendment No. 22 not moved.] Clause 3 agreed to.