HC Deb 01 May 1980 vol 983 cc675-6W
Mr. Peter Robinson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many voluntary and maintained primary and secondary schools there are in each board area; and how much money was paid out of Government funds to each school for salaries, maintenance and new buildings in the past five years.

Mr. Goodhart

The number of voluntary—including maintained—primary and secondary schools in each board area over the last five years is as follows.

BELFAST
Primary Secondary
1975 60 33
1976 60 33
1977 59 33
1978 56 32
1979 56 32
WESTERN
Primary Secondary
1975 158 34
1976 153 35
1977 147 34
1978 143 34
1979 136 34
NORTH EASTERN
Primary Secondary
1975 94 29
1976 93 29
1977 91 29
1978 91 30
1979 91 29
SOUTH EASTERN
Primary Secondary
1975 60 19
1976 60 19
1977 59 19
1978 58 19
1979 58 19
SOUTHERN
Primary Secondary
1975 164 34
1976 161 34
1977 159 34
1978 159 34
1979 159 34

The further information requested dealing with specified costs of each individual school over the past five years would require a massive clerical analysis of records in the Department in respect of teachers' salaries, grants to grammar schools and building grants, and in the area boards in respect of maintenance costs. It is in fact doubtful whether maintenance cost records held by boards would be capable of analysis to the level of individual schools because of the centralisation of items such as fuel contracts.