§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what(a) private finance initiative and (b) public funding went into the education system in Lancashire in each year since 1992. [13279]
§ Mr. Robin SquirePFI is new to the schools sector and to date no contracts involving Lancashire schools have been signed. A number of Lancashire schools are considering PFI options, and St. Wilfrid's Church of England high school, Blackburn is taking forward a PFI project to rebuild the school on a new site.
The following table lists capital allocations to Lancashire since 1993–94. Equivalent information for 1992–93 is not available. Allocations for grant-maintained schools are a matter for the Funding Agency for Schools.
the Departments and its predecessors have been aimed at making better use of existing resources. Among the important measures in the last five years have been:
- in 1992–93, the setting up of the Office for Standards in Education as an independent Government department; the introduction of the new further and higher education sectors and the subsequent increase in numbers and efficiency; and the publication of the first school performance tables;
- in 1993–94, the introduction of procedures to deal with failing schools; the formation of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority; and the launch of the technology colleges programme;
747 - in 1994–95, the piloting of modern apprenticeships: and the setting up of the Teacher Training Agency;
- in 1995–96, the launch of the improving schools programme, covering a broad range of measures to raise standards in all schools; and legislation to provide vouchers for nursery education; and
- in 1996–97, the start of the national literacy and numeracy project; and the implementation of the jobseeker's allowance, which aims to improve the operation of the labour market, secure better value for money for the taxpayer, and improve the service to unemployed people themselves.
These and other initiatives have contributed to the fact that participation rates in education are at historically high levels, that pass rates in examinations have continued to rise, and that in the labour market the UK has a higher proportion of its people in work and fewer out of work than any other major EU country.