§ Mr. Robin F. Cookasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the teacher-pupil ratio for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools by local education authority in each of the two mist recent available years.
§ Mr. McElhonePupil-teacher ratios at September 1974 and September 1975 are set out in the table below. Provisional information for 1976 will be issued shortly.
of State for Industry is responsible for a scheme whereby grants of up to £5,000 may be made available to encourage co-operation between small firms. He is also responsible for sectoral schemes of assistance under Section 8 of the Industry Act 1972, several of which include provision for helping Small Firms with consultancy assignments.
Apart from these schemes which are administered directly by the Government, the Small Business Division of the Scottish Development Agency—formerly the Small Industries Council for Rural Areas of Scotland—provides advice to small businesses in Scotland on management and technical subjects, including production engineering and marketing. The division provides loan finance for small 181W businesses and those engaged in craft industries or in technical innovation are also eligible for grants.
My right hon. Friend is not at present considering any new measures specifically to assist small-and medium-size businesses, although proposals for new sectoral schemes are under consideration.