§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has had about primary school aged children in local management schemes and formulae for funding.
§ Mr. ButcherMy right hon. Friend has received a number of recent representations from primary school governors and head teachers commenting on local education authorities' proposals for funding schools under schemes of local management (LMS). My right hon. Friend has made clear that the allocation of resources to schools under LMS should be based on an assessment on schools' objective needs rather than simply on historical patterns of spending. It will be for local education authorities to determine the unit of resource for pupils of different ages in the light of their assessment of the relative needs of pupils of each age after consulting the governors and head teachers of each of their schools.