Major's grammar scheme is ditched

John Major's plans to put a grammar school in every town have been ditched in order to allow the Government to push through its other legislation before the election.

Plans to allow new selective schools to be built and also to allow existing schools to select more pupils without special permission have been dropped. Clauses which would have enabled grant-maintained schools to expand at will have also been removed from the Bill.

Last night's announcement was made after detailed negotiations between the three main political parties on the future of all the Government's remaining legislation.

However, measures designed to improve school discipline and to give governing bodies new powers to exclude children were accepted by all sides.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats tried to stop measures which would expand the assisted-places scheme to primary schools.

However, ministers argued that about 150 pupils who expected to take up places under the scheme this September could be prevented from doing so if the clause was dropped, and it was finally agreed that it should stay in.

The agreement means that the rest of the Government's legislative programme will go through before Parliament breaks up for the Easter break on Friday.

As soon as MPs return on 8 April the house will be dissolved for the general election.

Some 28 Bills and at least nine pieces of backbench legislation are now expected to receive Royal Assent before the end of the week.

Debates are likely to continue late into the night in order to meet the deadline, but measures such as the Police Bill, which legalises the bugging of private property, and the Crime Bill, which imposes minimum sentences on persistent offenders, will be passed. The Crime Bill was passed by peers last night despite opposition from Tory law lords.

Peers were also due to complete debate on the Local Government and Rating Bill, which allows reduced rates for small village shops, and a backbench measure on police health and safety.

Today they are to pass the Finance Bill, enacting the 1996 Budget, the Education Bill, the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Bill, the Building Societies Bill, four minor government Bills, and five backbench Bills.

MPs will today complete debate on the Police Bill and the Government's anti-harassment bill, among others.

Tory Lord Archer's Succession to the Crown Bill will not survive this Parliament.

Lord Archer has agreed to withdraw his Bill, which was to have had its second reading on Friday.

A Labour source said later that the party had agreed with government proposals for a sensible way forward on the Education Bill: "We make no apology for refusing to accept those elements of the Bill with which we disagree.

"There is a basic difference between the two parties on the definition of parental choice.

"We believe in parents choosing schools for their children. The Tories believe that schools should choose the parents."