§ Mr. Hancockasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the education equipment bids to his Department from all the English polytechnics via their respective education authorities in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
§ Mr. BrookeThis information is not available. Local education authorities' bids for equipment do not distinguish between polytechnics and their other further education institutions.
It is for the authority to determine the apportionment of its allocation of prescribed capital expenditure, made under section 72 of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980, between institutions maintained by them. It has been the Department's practice in recent years to meet in full LEAs' bids for further and higher education equipment required for teaching and research.
Some information on allocations to authorities for equipment for advanced further education as a whole is available, however, and I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Dubs) on 24 January at column 476.