§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools of chiropody will remain under local education authority control following the establishment of the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council; what proportion of state registered chiropodists in England and Wales they account for; what safeguards will be introduced to ensure that funding of the chiropody course will not be adversely affected at these schools as a result of the new proposals and that the numbers of chiropody students will be maintained; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. JacksonIn England and Wales there are 11 institutions which offer courses leading to qualification as a state registered chiropodist. One school falls within the National Health Service. Of the 10 schools at educational institutions, six will remain in local authority control. In the current year the students enrolled at these six institutions represent about 70 per cent. of the total. Under long-standing guidance by education departments to local education authorities, the non-clinical elements of courses in chiropody at educational institutions are a charge to the education service. I do not expect that arrangement to change. LEA institutions will settle the levels of funding of their courses within the total resources made available by the authority. But authorities' expenditure on such courses of higher education will score as grant-related expenditure.