§ Mr. Kirbyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what is the total amount allocated to date of the special Government grant of £12,000,000 intended to assist local authorities to develop technical education; the names of the authorities to whom grants have been made or approved; the particulars of the schemes and the costs; and whether the Liverpool education authority has applied for any assistance?
Mr. Lindsay:The figure of £12,000,000 to which the hon. Member refers does 520W not represent a special allocation of Government grant for the development of technical education, but the first estimate made of the total capital expenditure likely to be involved in securing the new or extended provision that appeared to be necessary as a result of the survey of accommodation for technical education carried out in 1935. The Government indicated their readiness to recognise expenditure of this order by local education authorities for the purposes of grant.
Up to the 31st March, 1938, proposals arising on this survey for new buildings or extensions, involving an estimated total capital expenditure of £2,729,000, have been approved, covering 58 projects, particulars of which are given in the separate return which for convenience I am sending to the hon. Member.
In addition, sites have been approved for a further 74 projects, and in 50 of these cases plans for the buildings are now under consideration at various stages. No proposals have as yet been received from the Liverpool local education authority for the provision of new technical school accommodation.