MP says Ministers evading answers on free school scandal

David Ward has tabled a series of questions about Alan Lewis’s involvement at the Kings Science Academy in Bradford after the DfE said it had wrongly believed he was chairman of governors at the free school for 12 months from October 2011.

The department says it discovered in October 2012 that it had been misinformed and later found there had been no chairman in place at the free school in its first year.

Mr Lewis has also previously denied being chairman of governors at the school or having responsibility for its financial management and governance. His spokesman said a historic error on the school’s website had listed him as chair of governors but this was immediately corrected when brought to Mr Lewis’s attention.

Mr Lewis is the school’s executive patron and the Kings Science Academy is built on his company land in a deal worth almost £6m over 20 years.

Mr Ward complained Ministers are using a police investigation into a separate issue of alleged fraud at the school not to answer his questions and has complained to the Commons Procedure Committee.

Mr Ward said: “The answers Education Ministers keep giving to me and several other MPs are completely unacceptable and in breach of Parliamentary protocol.”

A DfE spokesman said: “The ongoing police investigation means that it would not be appropriate to release details of any departmental discussions at this time.”

Academy principal Sajid Raza has been arrested and released on bail pending further enquiries.