§ 12. Mr. Wainwrightasked the Minister of Education how much money will be allocated to the West Riding County Council for school building purposes for the years 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, and 1967–68, respectively.
§ Sir E. BoyleThe authority's major building programme for 1964–65 will amount to approximately £1.6 million. I am now considering the authority's proposals for the three following years, and I expect to be able to make an announcement within the next month or two.
§ Mr. WainwrightWill the right hon. Gentleman take into account the fact that the present allocation to the West Riding County Council is grossly insufficient, and that if no greater amount of money is allocated to it there will be an abandonment of many building 1376 projects in the West Riding, which will be detrimental to the children there? Will he when he gives the new estimates take into account subsidence, and building cost increases which, I understand, have been 20 per cent. or more during the last four years or so?
§ Sir E. BoyleI can assure the hon. Gentleman that the West Riding allocation for 1965–66, for example, will be greater than it was in 1964–65. In fact over the five years, the West Riding has had £13 million and 44 major improvement projects, which, I think, is not too bad. I think that one must judge this over a term of years and not by just one particular year.