§ 16. Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment his Department has made of the progress made in eliminating the backlog of essential repairs and improvements to school buildings in England. [88982]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeWe certainly inherited a large backlog of repairs and improvements when we took office. We have already allocated £680 million under the New Deal for Schools and will be supporting capital works amounting to a further £5 billion over the rest of this Parliament. This represents a doubling of investment compared to the previous Government and will substantially reduce the backlog. LEAs are responsible for their own maintenance programmes. By developing Asset Management Plans, which we are supporting and encouraging they will be able to make a more accurate assessment of capital spending needs and priorities, in consultation with their schools and their local partners.