§ Mr. John MacKayasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has decided the amounts of maintenance grants to be made available to the grant-aided secondary schools in 1980–81; and if he will state his policy for this grant in future years.
§ Mr. YoungerI shall lay before the House as soon as possible regulations providing for grants of the amounts shown below.
As already announced, I intend, as grant for assisted places builds up from 1981–82 onwards, to phase the maintenance grant out over a period of five years. The effect of this will be broadly that the sum of public expenditure on maintenance grant and assisted places grant will remain constant in real terms.
222WI propose, however, to make an exception in the case of St. Mary's music school which differs radically from the other grant-aided schools in that it provides specialist musical education. The grant proposed for it in 1980–81 represents a higher proportion of its maintenance costs than is proposed for the other schools and my intention is to keep it at that higher level for a period of three years, after which the position can be reviewed. In recognition of the distinction between St. Mary's and the other grant-aided secondary schools separate regulations relating to it will be laid before the House.
SCHOOL AND GRANT FOR THE SCHOOLS' 1980–81 FINANCIAL YEARS Dollar Academy 188,770 Benedictine Convent School 43,150 St. Joseph's College 88,200 Albyn School for Girls 89,030 Robert Gordon's College 233,760 St. Margaret's School 89,500 George Heriot's School 222,650 St. Mary's Music School 30,000 Craigholme School for Girls 103,630 Kelvinside Academy 119,990 Laurel Bank School 109,040 St. Aloysius' College 167,210 Westbourne School for Girls 100,450 High School of Dundee 238,860 Daniel Stewart's and Melville College) George Watson's College ) 929,390 The Mary Erskine School for Girls ) Hutcheson's Grammer School 268,440 The Park School ) St. Colomba's School ) 222,650 Morrison's Academy 178,800