§ Mr. HallTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) when she will make a response to the second report from the Education Select Committee on the disparity in funding between primary and secondary schools—HC, 1993–94, No. 45;
(2) what assessment she has made of the reasons for the disparity of funding between primary and secondary schools;
(3) what steps she is taking to reduce disparity in funding between secondary and primary schools;
(4) what is her assessment of the roles of standard spending assessments and local management of schools leading to the present disparity of funding between primary and secondary schools;
§ Mr. MillerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what proposals she has to increase the number of teachers in primary schools; and if she will increase the funds available for such schools.
§ Mr. ForthThe Government's formal response has been set to the Chairman of the Committee today; copies have been placed in the Library. The above matters are covered in the response.
§ Mr. HallTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to replace the historical basis of the funding formula for schools with a formula based upon educational needs.
§ Mr. Robin SquireCentral Government grant in support of local authority spending on education is allocated through the education standard spending assessment, which distributes funds according to the relevant populations, adjusted to reflect factors that cause the cost of providing education to vary between authorities.
Members Length of Appointment Date when next appointment is due Salary a. West Midlands Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) (Coventry) Chief Executive 4 years 10 months November 1996 £91,107 Full-time Chairman No fixed term January 1996 (expected) £34,975 Part-time (2 days per week) 12 members 3 years July 1995 Honorarium of £4000 per annum FEFC West Midlands Regional Committee (Coventry) 12 members 3 years November 1996 No honorarium. Travelling and subsistence allowances are paid by the FEFC FEFC East Midlands Regional Committee (Coventry) 11 members 3 years September 1996 No honorarium. Travelling and subsistence allowances are paid by the FEFC National Council for Education and Training (NCET) (Coventry) Chairman Normally 3 years September 1995 Some expenses are paid for attendance at Council at meetings 7 members Normally 3 years April 1995 1 member Normally 3 years April 1996 7 members Normally 3 years April 1997