HL Deb 21 May 1998 vol 589 cc200-1WA
Lord Alderdice

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of the budget for each of Northern Ireland's Education and Library Boards is spent on administration costs, by year since the financial year 1992–93 [HL1873]

Lord Dubs

The information regarding the Education and Library Boards' administration costs is as follows.

Per cent.
1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
Belfast Education and Library Board 4.4 4.0 3.9 2.3 2.2 2.3
North-Eastern Education and Library Board 3.9 3.7 3.9 2.6 2.4 2.4
South-Eastern Education and Library Board 3.8 3.8 3.7 2.0 2.1 2.2
Southern Education and Library Board 3.9 3.6 3.6 2.0 2.0 2.0
Western Education and Library Board 4.1 3.9 4.2 2.2 2.0 2.2

Figures for 1992–93–1994–95 are not directly comparable with subsequent years. From 1995–96 the support costs (around £12 million) for various services such as school meals, special education etc. which were previously charged to the Headquarters Administration budget have instead been allocated to the appropriate service budget.