HC Deb 04 December 2003 vol 415 cc634-5
5. Mr. Henry Bellingham (North-West Norfolk) (Con)

When he will next meet Norfolk local education authority to discuss school budgets. [141760]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills(Mr. Stephen Twigg)

My right hon. Friend has no plans to meet Norfolk local education authority to discuss school funding. Measures to restore stability and certainty to school funding were announced on 29 October and will provide a guaranteed minimum increase in every school's per pupil funding, additional resources at LEA level, which can be targeted at schools with additional pressures, and a package of transitional support, including grant of £5.3 million for Norfolk LEA that can be targeted at those schools facing the greatest difficulty in bringing their budgets back into balance.

Mr. Bellingham

Is the Minister aware that the Secretary of State was assuring Norfolk schools this time last year that all of them would have a reasonable increase in their budget in line with inflation? As he is well aware, events turned out differently, and many schools in my constituency suffered their worst budget in living memory. Beacon schools such as St. Edmundsbury, Reffley and Fairstead had cuts of up to £100,000 and had either to raid their capital reserve or to get rid of staff. The Secretary of State is saying exactly what he said last year. Can we trust him?

Mr. Twigg

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for reminding us of the events of the past year. We have tried to learn lessons from those events. I should like to quote Alec Byrne, a Conservative member of Norfolk county council and cabinet member for education, who said: The better the overall funding level for Norfolk, the fewer problems there will be in schools. We have been working hard to persuade the Government that Norfolk needs a better overall settlement, and that is what we appear to have achieved.

Mr. Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (Con)

If the Secretary of State should change his view about meeting Norfolk LEA, will he and the Minister address themselves not only to the overall level of budgets but to the fairness of allocation, especially to rural areas? My hon. Friend the Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) has received a letter in the past week from the head teacher of Sheringham high school in Norfolk saying that it will have to sack two and a half teachers next year because of the new funding settlement. In my constituency, as in many other rural constituencies represented by hon. Members on both sides of the House, schools, such as Settlebeck school, are for the first time ever having to go cap in hand to parents to ask for money for school books. When will the Government be fair in allocating resources to rural areas?

Mr. Twigg

We seek to be fair to all areas, including rural areas. If representatives from Norfolk LEA request a meeting with my right hon. Friend, he will be more than happy to meet them. I am astonished at the hon. Gentleman's comments, given the situation in his area. In Cumbria, per pupil spending on education has increased since 1997 by £960.

Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)

What about Norfolk?

Mr. Twigg

The hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Collins) referred to Cumbria in his question. I am happy to talk about Norfolk, and to remind the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) of the positive response from the Conservative council there. I only wish that we had the same honest response from Conservative Members in this House.

Mr. Richard Bacon (South Norfolk) (Con)

May I just say that Alec Byrne is a very sound man? Last week, I sat on a platform with him talking about the council tax—

Mr. Speaker

Order. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman could put question 6.