§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the direct and indirect expenditure by the Department for Education in each of the past three months, up to and including October 1993, on campaigns to persuade schools, governors and parents to opt out.
§ Baroness BlatchThe department does not run campaigns to persuade schools, governors and parents to opt out, and has incurred no expenditure on such campaigns. It does, however, provide factual information to help parents and governors make informed decisions about whether grant-maintained status is right for their schools and to tell them how to acquire it. Provision of such information is also one of the functions for which the department pays grant to the Grant Maintained Schools Centre.
Total expenditure by the Department in each of the past three months on provision of factual information about grant-maintained status is set out in the table below. The figures shown include expenditure on regional conferences organised by the department; on the various publications produced by the department on grant-maintained status; expenses reimbursed to headteachers and governors of GM schools who have attended meetings organised by schools considering GM status; and an estimate of the relevant proportion of the department's grant to the GMSC.
113WA
Month Total expenditure (£) August 46,500 September 37,700 October 49,400