§ 132. Mr. McEnteeasked the Minister of Education the average estimated capital cost in site purchase and building and equipment cost per student of technical colleges in England and Wales today; the average estimated capital cost per student in secondary and in primary schools; and what proportion in each case is met by Government grant.
§ Miss WilkinsonIt is not possible to give any average figure of the cost of technical colleges. The cost of sites varies widely according to their situation, and the cost of buildings and equipment depends upon the character of the special provision required to meet the particular needs of different industrial areas. Moreover, since technical colleges cater so largely for part-time students, it is impossible to express figures of cost in regard to them in terms of cost per student.
No technical colleges have been built since the war, and consequently no estimates of cost are available. My hon. Friend may, however, be interested to know that of technical colleges completed shortly before the war or in 1940, the cost of:
The South Dorset Technical College at Weymouth was £1,290 for the site, £41,020 for the buildings, and £3,422 for the equipment; the Bury Municipal Technical College was £12,000 for the site, £125,790 for the buildings, and £20,750 for the equipment; the Twickenham Technical College was £14,720 for the site, £96,280 for the buildings, and £19,240 for the equipment; the Bolton Technical College was £23,576 for the site, £283, 100 for the buildings, and £86,750 for the equipment.As regards primary and secondary schools, for the reason given above it is not possible to give any figures of average cost of sites. As regards buildings, the 167W amount of building which it has been possible to put in hand since the war is insufficient to enable reliable figures of cost to be given. It may however, be generally assumed that on the average the cost per place is at present at least double the average prewar cost per place as regards buildings, and substantially so as regards equipment.
The grant payable on the expenditure of local education authorities on the provision, including site costs, and equipment of technical colleges and of primary and secondary schools, apart from school canteens, is part of the main grant payable under the local education authorities' grant regulations, and the rates of grant vary from area to area. The rate of grant payable on approved expenditure on the provision of school canteens is 100 per cent.