School Grants (Hansard, 27 October 1981)

§ 4. Mr. Skinner
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now introduce school grants for all students between the ages of 16 to 19 years; and if he will make a statement.

§ Dr. Boyson
As my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Macfarlane) said in reply to the question asked on 14 July by the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner), the Government are keeping the arrangements for financial support for 16 to 19-year-olds under review, but have no plans at present for changes.

§ Mr. Skinner
Does the Minister accept that if it costs about £6,000 million to keep 1 million people out of work there is some sense in keeping more young people in that age group at school? At the very least that would keep them off the streets and give them some purpose in life. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that it would do more than that? It would provide several thousand jobs for school teachers at a time when at least 6,000 teachers are on the dole. Is the hon. Gentleman also aware that, in the midst of my hon. Friends, I think that I can say that this issue is part of our alternative strategy on which we are all united.

§ Dr. Boyson
I am sure that the country will be amazed when it reads that last statement. In future, people will follow Question Time even more closely than before. All the evidence shows that more 16 to 19-year-olds now stay at school. Local education authorities already have powers to pay maintenance grants to children aged between 16 and 19. According to the figures for last year, about £3.7 million was paid to 16 to 19-year-olds who attended school, and a further £3.7 million was paid to those in further education. Therefore, certain things are being done.

§ Mr. Kinnock
Does the Minister recall that during the "no confidence" debate on 27 July the Prime Minister announced that an additional £60 million was to be provided in the next financial year so that 50,000 more youngsters could stay on at school or college? Despite many requests from the many different authorities for information, the Department has failed to give an answer. Will the Minister tell us, for the first time, to whom the money will be given, how it will be spent, how it will be calculated and the policies that the Government have in mind regarding either the payment of 16 to 19-year-olds or the provision of facilities for the hundreds—possibly thousands—of young people who are turned away from further education because of cuts in this academic year?

§ Dr. Boyson
I am grateful to the hon. Member for Bedwellty (Mr. Kinnock) for having drawn our attention to the fact that just before the Summer Recess the Prime Minister said that £60 million more would be provided for England and Wales and that provision would be made for about 50,000 more 16 to 19-year-olds to stay at school. As yet I have not gone into the details, but I understand that the money will be given to the local authorities—after discussion with them—via the rate support grant. [Interruption.] The hon. Member for Bedwellty may not like that, but if the Government allocate the money direct it will cause uproar among the local education authorities, including most of those that are Labour-controlled.

§ Mr. Madel
For the education and training of 16 to 19-year-olds, will my hon. Friend ensure that the Department co-operates even more closely with the Manpower Services Commission and the Department of Employment so that skillcenters can be opened up to young people aged between 16 and 19? Will he also ensure that we tackle the problem of the shortage of instructors in skillcenters?

§ Dr. Boyson
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments and agree that such steps must be taken. There are obviously discrepancies in the sums paid to young people on youth opportunity programme schemes, to those receiving unemployment benefit or supplementary benefit, and to those at school. Those discrepancies must be looked at not only by the Department but by other Ministers.