Major Building Programmes (Hansard, 24 October 1968)

HC Deb 24 October 1968 vol 770 cc1576-9 1576

§ 32. Mr. J. E. B. Hill
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out in tabular form the major building programmes for primary and secondary schools in each of the years 1965–66 to 1968–69 at both current and constant prices, and the amount in each programme devoted to basic needs and replacements and improvements, respectively, at both current and constant prices.

§ Miss Bacon
With permission, I will do so in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

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§ Mr. Hill
Is the right hon. Lady satisfied with the trend in the improvement factor, which is the best indicator of progress? If not, will she say what steps she is taking to make it more favourable?

§ Miss Bacon
I am not sure that I get the gist of the hon. Gentleman's question. I have given him a very long Answer. Perhaps he will look at it and then raise the matter again.

§ Mr. Christopher Price
Does not my right hon. Friend agree that the distinction between basic need and replacement is often inexact and sometimes unreal and has acted against the inner areas of big cities for many years? Will she look at

Schools Major Building Programmes(a)
	Basic Needs	Improvement(b) and Replacement	Total
	Costs at announcement	Present Costs	Costs at announcement	Present Costs	Costs at announcement	Present Costs
	£m.	£m.	£m.	£m.	£m.	£m.
1965–66:
Primary	25.0	27.1	5.8	6.3	30.8	33.4
Secondary	25.3	27.4	23.9	25.9	49.2	53.3
Total	50.3	54.5	29.7	32.2	80.0	86.7
1966–67:
Primary	26.4	28.6	7.6	8.2	34.0	36.8
Secondary	22.6	24.5	22.4	24.3	45.0	48.8
Total	49.0	53.1	30.0	32.5	79.0	85.6
1967–68:
Primary	32.5	35.3	13.5	14.7	46.0	50.0
Secondary	32.3	35.0	15.2	16.5	47.5	51.5
Total	64.8	70.3	28.7	31.2	93.5	101.5
1968–69 (c):
Primary	24.1	4.4	28.5
Secondary	33.8	8.2	42.0
Total	57.9	12.6	70.5
				Add	21.6 (c)
					92.1
(a) The figures shown for 1968–69 relate to projects authorised to start in that year only. The figures for each of the previous years relate to the programmes as announced. The procedure then operating differed from current practice in that it allowed the carry-over of unstarted projects from year to year. This meant that projects actually started differed from those originally announced for the particular programme. An analysis of projects actually started in the earlier years is not available.
(b) Separate information about improvements and replacement is not available. The figures for 1967–68 and 1968–69 include the improvement element in projects which combine basic need with improvement. The figures for other years are for improvement or replacement-only projects.
(c) In addition to the £70.5(m) of starts in 1968–69 detailed in the table a further £21.6(m) of building resources in 1968–69 are committed to meet an excess of starts over the authorised total in 1967–68. This sum cannot be ascribed to particular projects and consequently cannot be analysed in terms of the question.
(d) The figures for 1968–69 take no account of the £16(m) of resources allocated for both major and minor projects in educational priority areas for the two years 1968–69 and 1969–70. The bulk of these major projects are for the replacement of old primary school buildings.

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§ this matter to try to put more into replacement in future?

§ Miss Bacon
I am well aware that it has acted against the big cities, because my constituency has suffered very badly from it, but I think that my hon. Friend will recognise that we must give first priority to the provision of providing schools for those children who would otherwise have no school, for example, those in areas of new population. But we have made a start this year with the educational priority areas and both my right hon. Friend and I would like to get on as fast as possible with replacing some of the very old schools.

§ The following is the information: