HC Deb 26 February 1998 vol 307 cc487-8
10. Mr. Spring

What steps he is taking to ensure that funding from central Government for education is actually spent on education by county councils. [29888]

Mr. Byers

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the leaders of local authorities to emphasise that the increase in resources of more than £1 billion should be passed on to schools. Of that, more than £10.7 million should be going to schools in Suffolk.

Mr. Spring

In practice, educational provision in the county of Suffolk, for example, is under threat. In practice, for the first time in the county's history, school budgets are being cut. Would the hon. Gentleman like to take this opportunity to apologise to all parents, teachers and governors who, having heard his party's education, education, education slogan, now know that they have been bitterly let down and misled?

Mr. Byers

I hope that the hon. Gentleman will not allow prejudice to get in the way of fact. He needs to be aware that the Government have provided £10.7 million for schools in Suffolk—way above the rate of inflation. That is only half the story. If the hon. Gentleman looks at Suffolk's capital provision, he will see an extra £1.2 million for school building this year and, for the coming financial year, no less than £5.3 million for capital spending for Suffolk schools. That is another illustration of a Government who do not just talk about raising standards, but provide resources to see that it happens.

Ms Hodge

I congratulate the Minister and his colleagues on the extra money that they have found to put into schools. Does he share my concern that some local education authorities are not passing on to schools the money that the Government have made available? Would he, in particular, condemn Conservative-controlled councils such as Kensington and Chelsea, which is keeping more than 30 per cent. of its education budget centrally? Will he take steps to make the allocation of education spending at local authority level more transparent so we can see where the money is spent?

Mr. Byers

I deeply regret the decisions taken by the councillors in Kensington and Chelsea not to pass on the considerable additional resources that the Government have provided to them. They will be held accountable in the May local elections by the parents, teachers and governors of the schools of Kensington and Chelsea because of their failure to put education first. That is the top priority of the Government. We have provided the resources and we want local authorities to provide that money to schools so they can join with the Government in raising standards and giving our children the best possible start in life.

Mr. Dorrell

Does the Minister accept that the acid test of the Government's commitment to education will be the movement in school budgets when those have been finalised by local authorities in the next few weeks? Does he not understand that all the rhetoric—of which we have heard more this afternoon—rings hollow in schools around the country where budget increases seem likely to be barely more and, in some cases—as my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring) said—less than, inflation? Is it not the case that the balloon of expectation pumped up last year by the Government has now burst and that it is clear that the Government's priority is not education, education, education, but presentation, presentation, presentation?

Mr. Byers

That was one prepared a bit earlier today. For the first time in many years, schools throughout the country will have an above-inflation increase in resources—provided by this Government. Every council has had its capping level lifted so that it can passport the new money directly for school spending. That is another illustration of the Government putting standards first. Most importantly, the acid test of the Government will be the fact that, at the end of this Parliament, a greater percentage of our national wealth will be spent on education than when we took office.