HC Deb 10 June 1986 vol 99 cc162-3
6. Mr. Lawler

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to re-distribute resources from those local education authorities with surplus capacity of school building accommodation.

Mr. Dunn

The Government's plans for local authority expenditure on education assume that authorities collectively will remove surplus places in line with Government targets. The grant entitlement of individual authorities is not directly related to occupancy of school places but will reflect changes in pupil numbers.

Mr. Lawler

Is my hon. Friend aware that we have a serious problem in Bradford? There is a growing school population and a third of school buildings are over 83 years old. That has led to overcrowding and a bad state of repair in many places. Will he take action to ensure that the £700 million, which was recently identified by the Audit Commission as being wasted on maintaining surplus capacity, is redirected to places like Bradford, where £17 million is needed to clear up the backlog of repairs?

Mr. Dunn

I look forward to visiting my hon. Friend's constituency of Bradford, North later in July. I recognise that much of Bradford has basic need problems because of a rising school population. That is why the authority has received the second largest capital allocation of any of the metropolitan authorities in each of the last two years. I look forward to seeing for myself the problems raised by my hon. Friend.

Mr. Madden

When the hon. Gentleman visits schools in Bradford, will he go to the one which was recently visited by the city's director of education, where he had to carry an umbrella inside because the roof was leaking so much? Will he also find the £1 million which is necessary to repair electrical faults in the city's schools and do something about providing more money so that more than three schools can be redecorated this year? On that basis, it means that schools in Bradford get redecorated only once in every 100 years?

Mr. Dunn

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that helpful question. Progress in removing surplus places is a key to improvements in provision for repairs and maintenance. If authorities can remove places in the worst state of repair, maintenance staffs will have more time for the premises for which there is a continuing need.

Mr. Andrew MacKay

Is my hon. Friend aware that in areas such as Berkshire, where there has been a rapid increase in population, which has led to a grave shortage of accommodation in primary schools, we look with amazement and envy at other authority areas where there seems to be so much surplus accommodation which is being wasted?

Mr. Dunn

Authorities' grant entitlement is not directly related to the occupancy of school places, but will reflect changes in pupil numbers. If my hon. Friend would like to write to me on that point about Berkshire, I shall look into it.