Letter: RE in Gateshead

Sir: J. D. Arbon, the Gateshead director of education, complains that I criticised the Gateshead Agreed Syllabus on religious education (Letters, 7 July).

This is not so. At no time in my address or in the subsequent discussion did I mention Gateshead or any particular agreed syllabus. I did, however, refer in general terms to a lack of professionalism in some agreed syllabuses, and when asked later by a reporter for examples, showed him the Hansard report of the speech by Baroness Cox in the House of Lords on 17 June, in which the reference to Gateshead occurs.

It was, in fact, mentioned more than once in the debate, which suggests that there was some independent source on which different speakers were relying, but I do not myself know what it was.

Yours faithfully,

JOHN EBOR

(Archbishop of York)

York

7 July