§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of traveller children attended(a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in the latest year for which figures have been collected: and how many children are in each category.
§ Mr. MacGregorThis information is not available.
§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is proposing to take to ensure that in the year 1990–91 all traveller children attend school.
§ Mr. MacGregorIt is the duty of parents to ensure that children of compulsory school age receive efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude and any special educational needs they may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. It is for local education authorities to ensure that the parents of any children of compulsory school age in their area are fulfilling this duty.
§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total amount of grant sought by education authorities from his Department towards the education of travellers' children for the year 1990–91; what were the criteria for awarding allocations; and what, in each case, was the percentage and the amount awarded against the bid.
§ Mr. MacGregorGrant was sought to support expenditure of £13.8 million on the education of traveller 845W children in 1990–91. The draft circular issued in July 1989 indicated that in the case of satisfactory bids exceeding the total grant available, priority would be given, as far as possible, to the maintenance of existing special provision. A total of 57.6 per cent. of the expenditure sought has been approved. The percentage of individual LEA bids allocated and the consequent expenditure levels are as follows:
846W
LEA Per cent. of bid allocated Approved expenditure £000's Avon 70.0 260.1 Barnsley 0 0 Bedfordshire 99.5 207.1 Berkshire 95.6 212.4 Bolton 0 0 Bradford 96.7 165.8 Brent 18.8 26.7 Bromley 91.1 84.1 Buckinghamshire 83.2 245.5 Bury 39.7 9.1 Cambridgeshire 84.4 249.1 Camden 0 0 Cheshire 0 0 Cleveland 55.0 62.9 Cornwal 0 0 Croydon 0 0 Cumbria 15.6 13.8 Derbyshire 52.3 145.2 Devon 99.4 139.5 Doncaster 26.1 58.1 Dorset 90.9 57.0 Durham 23.7 110.7 Ealing 9.1 12.0 East Sussex 40.4 54.4 Essex 95.8 509.5 Gateshead 75.0 35.8 Gloucestershire 41.9 59.8 Greenwich 77.8 75.4 Hackney 0 0 Hammersmith/Fulham 13.1 9.6 Hampshire 0 0 Haringey 63.2 78.1 Harrow 25.1 40.7 Havering 32.8 8.8 Hertfordshire 96.3 600.2 Hillingdon 0 0 Hounslow 71.9 96.1 Humberside 74.5 226.7 Kensington/Chelsea 26.3 8.0 Kent 13.1 173.0 Lambeth 18.6 16.5 Lancashire 95.4 293.6 Leeds 68.7 193.9 Leicestershire 28.7 85.0 Lewisham 73.0 49.0 Lincolnshire 97.8 162.8 Liverpool 0 0 Manchester 60.4 286.1 Newcastle 34.8 16.0 Newham 82.1 46.8 Norfolk 33.9 65.3 North Yorkshire 51.9 105.0 Northamptonshire 78.3 184.0 Northumbria 100.0 32.0 Nottinghamshire 29.4 28.8 Oxfordshire 98.5 282.0 Richmond 73.0 14.6 Rochdale 0 0 Rotherham 0 0 Salford 0 0 Sefton 47.4 39.9 Sheffield 78.2 156.4 Solihull 57.7 22.1 Somerset 41.9 58.6 Southwark 86.2 200.5 Suffolk 82.2 122.5
LEA Per cent. of bid allocated Approved expenditure £000's Surrey 68.7 322.9 Tower Hamlets 34.8 17.8 Trafford 58.7 19.2 Wakefield 79.0 86.4 Waltham Forest 0 0 Wandsworth 0 0 West Sussex 71.6 114.8 Wigan 55.7 56.3 Wiltshire 51.1 76.0 Wolverhampton 87.2 739.1
§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total number of traveller children for whom education authorities made applications for funding from his Department in 1990–91.
§ Mr. MacGregorApproximately 13,900 traveller children were identified in the applications for funding. The information received from authorities was, however, incomplete.