§ Michael FabricantTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the target transitional grant for Staffordshire local education authority will be in the next two years; and what arrangements have been made for the provision of the grant. [136166]
§ Mr. MilibandDetails of the transitional support package for 2004–05 and 2005–06, including the arrangements for paying the targeted grant, will be published at the time of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this month.
On 29 October the government published indicative figures for the targeted grant in 2004–05, which have been placed in the Library of the House. These assumed that grant would be available to authorities whose increase in Education Formula Spending and relevant DIES grant between 2002–03 and 2004–05 would otherwise be less than 12 per cent. per pupil. The increase in Staffordshire LEA is expected to he above 12 per cent. per pupil over the relevant period, which means it would not be eligible for the targeted grant.
However, if Staffordshire or any other LEA is able to put forward a compelling case that additional, transitional funds are needed in the short term—above and beyond those already available to the LEA—my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be prepared to consider bringing forward grant payments from my department, so that the LEA will have funds available in 2004–05 for this purpose, with the expectation of a consequential reduction to what they will receive in future years. The maximum amount that might be made available in this way would be a maximum of £300,000 per authority, or 0.2 per cent. of the authority's total education resources in 2004–05, if that is higher. For Staffordshire, 0.2 per cent. of its education resources would be over £800,000.