§ Mr. Roderickasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps she is taking to monitor the expenditure on education from the allocation made in the rate support grant settlement in each authority in England and Wales; and whether she will take steps to introduce a specific grant for education in the next settlement.
§ Mr. Oakes:My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to introduce legislation on specific grants. The existing machinery of the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance provides a means for considering with the local authority associations overall progress and my right hon. Friend will continue to discuss particular issues as they arise with the representatives of the Council of Local Education Authorities.