§ 5. Mr. Loveysasked the Minister of Education whether local authorities have to guarantee to him that they are ready and able to proceed with projects which have been allocated to them under the major school building programme.
§ Sir E. BoyleI ask for no formal guarantee of an authority's ability to start its projects. But when settling the programme, one of the factors which I take into account is the likelihood of its being able to start the projects concerned in the appropriate year.
§ Mr. LoveysWould my right hon. Friend agree that, if local authorities are unable to fulfil their projects, rather than allow capital allowances for school building to go by default because of difficulties concerning the availability of land or for any other reason, it would be better to reallocate the funds to authorities which already have the land and which are seriously in need of new school building and raring to go?
§ Sir E. BoyleI assure my hon. Friend that there is no question of capital allowances going by default. In the last year for which we have figures, actual starts slightly exceeded authorised starts. There is no question of capital which is available not being used for a project.