§ Mr. Peter Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the number of children whose parents are presently paid an allowance towards the cost of their travel to and from school; what is the total cost of these allowances and the criteria by which they are made; and whether their criteria apply equally to children attending fee-paying schools.
§ Dr. BoysonThis information is not collected by my Department. The circumstances in which children not entitled to free home-to-school transport may be given financial assistance with travel costs,
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1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978* Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. One child family: Gross earnings … 36.7 42.8 41.3 39.2 38.3 40.1 40.3 49.9 46.9 Net earnings … 46.8 54.4 51.9 50.4 50.7 55.0 55.3 67.1 63.[...] Two child families: Gross earnings … 45.3 52.9 50.8 48.1 46.9 49.2 49.3 59.7 56.0 Net earnings … 56.4 65.0 62.4 60.5 60.4 65.9 65.9 78.3 74.7 Four child families: Gross earnings … 62.4 72.9 69.8 66.0 64.2 67.3 67.3 79.1 74.3 Net earnings … 74.7 84.9 81.4 79.5 78.2 86.5 85.4 99.3 96.6 * Estimate. Notes: 1. The qualifying levels for free school meals are laid down in the Provision of Milk and Meal. Regulations 1969, as amended. 2. The figures of gross earnings for 1977 are based on the mean of the New Earnings Survey (NES estimates of average earnings of full-time adult male manual workers for April 1977 and April 1978. The figures for earlier years are derived in a similar way. The estimated figures for 1978 are based on the April 1978 NES figure updated to October 1978, i.e. the middle of the year. 3. Net earnings are taken as gross earnings less income tax and national insurance. 4. For the purposes of calculating income tax the ages of the children are taken as one under 11 one under 11 and one between 11 and 16; and two under 11, one between 11 and 16 and one over 16 5. The percentages are based on the point on the school meals remission scale at which the parent is no longer entitled to free school meals for any child and the amounts of such assistance, are matters to be decided by individual local education authorities exercising their discretionary powers.