§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Short) on 25 November, Official Report, c. 466, what steps his Department is taking to monitor what is happening throughout the country with regard to the provision of books in primary and secondary schools.
§ Mr. Mark CarlisleLocal authorities make annual returns to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for236W the Environment of their revenue expenditure on education—as on all other services. These detailed returns show authorities' expenditure on school books and educational equipment and, in conjunction with pupil number data, this information can be used to monitor average per capita levels of spending in this area. Qualitative assessments of standards in the schools, including books are made by Her Majesty's Inspectorate, which has established regular procedures for monitoring the effects on the education service of local authority expenditure policy.