§ Mr. CollinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that pupils at former grant maintained schools secure the same increases in funding per individual as those in other state schools in(a) Cumbria and (b) England.[82183]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisGrant-maintained schools have previously enjoyed preferential funding, whereas the Government are committed to fair funding for all schools, continuing the process of phasing out unfair funding which the previous Government began in 1995–96. For 1999–2000, we have guaranteed that grant-maintained schools will be funded at the same level per pupil in cash terms as they were in 1998–99. Many will be funded at a higher level than that, where LEAs pass on the extra resources we have obtained for education directly to their schools, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has urged them to do.