At the end of section 499 of the M1Education Act 1996 (power of Secretary of State to direct appointment of members of education committees) there shall be added—

“(6)

Regulations may require—

(a)

any such committee as is mentioned in subsection (1) or (3), and

(b)

any sub-committee appointed by any authorities within subsection (1) or (3), or by any committee within paragraph (a) of this subsection, for the purpose mentioned in subsection (5)(b),

to include one or more persons elected, in accordance with the regulations, as representatives of parent governors at maintained schools in relation to which the committee or sub-committee acts.

(7)

Regulations may make provision for—

(a)

the number of persons who are to be elected for the purposes of subsection (6) in the case of any local education authority;

(b)

the procedure to be followed in connection with the election of such persons and the persons who are entitled to vote at such an election;

(c)

the circumstances in which persons are qualified or disqualified for being so elected or for holding office once elected;

(d)

the term of office of persons so elected and their voting rights;

(e)

the application to any such committee or sub-committee, with or without any modification, of any provision made by or under any other enactment and relating to committees or (as the case may be) sub-committees of a local authority;

(f)

such other matters connected with such elections or persons so elected as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(8)

Regulations may also make provision—

(a)

enabling the Secretary of State to determine, where he considers it expedient to do so in view of the small number of maintained schools in relation to which a committee or sub-committee acts, that the requirement imposed on the committee or sub-committee by virtue of subsection (6) is to have effect as if it referred to representatives of parents of registered pupils (rather than representatives of parent governors) at those schools;

(b)

for any regulations under subsection (7) to have effect, where the Secretary of State makes any such determination, with such modifications as may be prescribed.

(9)

In subsections (6) and (8) “maintained school” and “parent governor” have the same meaning as in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.”