§ Mr. Bishopasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in the Further Education building programme during the current financial year.
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§ Mr. Gordon WalkerThe £30.5 million Further Education building programme authorised to start during the current financial year exceeds that in any previous year. Excellent progress has been made in dealing with the backlog of projects from past programmes thanks to the efforts of local education authorities and to improvements in the Department's procedures. Progress has recently been so rapid that it will be necessary to space out starts for the present to ensure that the substantial amounts authorised are not exceeded.