§ 41. Mr. Morleyasked the Minister of Education the total capital sum of the school-building programme allocated to local education authorities for the year 1955–56.
§ Mr. PickthornThe estimated value of the school building programme for 1955–56 is approximately £45,000,000.
§ Mr. MorleyIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware that at a recent conference of the Association of Education Committees, and in a recent statement in the journal of that Association, it was stated that the local authorities had applied for £88 million of school building for that year, and that the allocation provided will not be sufficient to carry out even the meagre provisions of Circular 245? Will the hon. Gentleman urge his right hon. Friend substantially to increase the allocation?
§ Mr. PickthornMy right hon. Friend is satisfied that, in general, the essential requirements of Circular 245 can be met by local education authorities—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."]—within the limits of the building programme allowed. As to the comparison between the proportion allotted and the amounts asked for, it is fair to remember that not all education authorities are equally scrupulous—[An HON. MEMBER: "Whitehall knows best."]—in putting up their building suggestions within the conditions of Circular 245; also, not all of them have the same form of doing so, so it is not possible to allocate a sum proportionate to that requested.