§ Mr. Nobleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what financial allocations have been made by her Department to each of the Workers' Educational Association districts in England and Wales during the financial years 1976–77 and 1977–78; what the allocations are for the current year; on what basis these amounts are determined and to what extent they take account of deficit funding in 1976–77; and how the percentage increases in each year compare with the percentage increase in tutor organisers' salaries.
§ Mr. OakesThe grant allocations made to districts of the Workers' Educational Association in England and Wales under the Further Education Regulations 1975, as amended, are based on the educational year—August to July—and the table of figures below therefore relates to this period and not to the financial year. The table also shows the rates of increases in tutor organisers' salaries. My Department's responsibility for the allocations782W for 1978–79 is limited to the English districts as a result of the transfer of responsibility for most higher and further education functions in Wales to the Secretary of State for Wales on 1st April 1978. The grant allocations shown for the two Welsh districts for 1978–79 were accordingly authorised by the Welsh Office Education Department.
The amount of grant for each district in 1976–77, as in previous years, was a contribution of 75 per cent. towards approved teaching costs, but a supplementary grant was paid to most of the districts to cover deficits. Beginning in 1977–78 the basis of the grants was changed to an apportionment to each district from a cash-limited total sum and this new arrangement also allows for up to 25 per cent. of the grants to be devoted to non-teaching costs.
In 1977–78 the total grant was based on the sum of the main grant to all the districts in the previous year, not taking account of the supplementary grants, together with an additional £100,000. The distribution of this total sum over the districts was based on the previous year's grants, with allowances made for vacant 783W tutor-organiser posts, but the previous year's deficits were not taken into account. The total grant made available for 1978–79 was arrived at by revaluing the 1977–78 figure to provide for the effect
GRANTS TO DISTRICTS OF THE WORKERS' EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION IN ENGLAND AND WALES District 1976–77 Percentage increase 1977–78 Percentage increase 1978–79 Percentage increase £ £ £ Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 43,136 12.95 50,600 17.30 56,350 11.36 Eastern 76,556 8.70 95,400 24.61 109,100 14.36 East Midland 78,787 8.16 91,800 16.52 105,000 14.38 London 42,575 7.05 53,100 24.72 58,200 9.60 Northern 54,533 16.31 67,500 23.78 72,900 8.00 North Staffordshire 23,881 10.50 32,100 34.42 35,650 11.06 North Western 51,374 10.89 63,300 23.21 68,400 8.06 Southern 62,288 8.99 74,500 19.61 85,200 14.36 South Eastern 23,846 1.69 36,600 53.48 41,800 14.21 South Western 37,134 15.69 43,800 17.95 48,300 10.27 Western 65,746 20.08 79,000 20.16 85,350 8.04 West Lancashire and Cheshire 65,430 14.11 78,300 19.67 84,600 8.05 West Midland 44,391 13.11 55,900 25.93 60,400 8.05 Yorkshire North 74,057 9.14 88,200 19.10 100,850 14.34 Yorkshire South 35,281 14.87 43,400 23.01 46,900 8.06 North Wales 41,708 5.85 51,300 22.98 56,150 9.45 South Wales 58,232 9.03 73,200 25.70 81,850 11.82 Tutor Organisers' Salary Increase — 5.00 — 7.06 — * * Not yet known.