HC Deb 04 December 1995 vol 268 c117W
Mr. MacShane

To ask' the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been awarded an assisted place in the years since 1990. [3504]

Mrs. Gillan

The numbers of children who were awarded and took up assisted places for the first time in England in each year since academic year 1990–91 are given in the table:

Assisted places scheme
Academic Number of children taking up Assited Places
1990–91 4,948
1991–92 5,602
1992–93 5,815
1993–94 5,775
1994–95 5,813

The total number of assisted place holders in England in the academic year 1994–95, including those who took up places for the first time in earlier years, was 29,747. Questions about the operation of the assisted places scheme in Scotland and Wales are for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales. There is no assisted places scheme in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Blunkett

to ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much is proposed to be spent on the assisted places scheme in 1995–96, and in each year to 1995–99. [3713]

Mrs. Gillan

Provision in the supply estimates for the assisted places scheme in England in the current financial year 1995–96 is £104.4 million. We have increased the planned spending for financial year 1996–97 to £118 million. Provisional figures for the following two years will be published in the departmental report. The actual outturn will depend on the number of acceptable bids from eligible schools for new places from September 1996, and on parental demand.