§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report details of the pupil to teacher ratio for Welsh local education authorities for 1980–81, referred to in paragraph 4 of "The Effects on the Education Services in Wales of Recent Local Authority Expenditure Policies: An Assessment by HMI".
§ Mr. Michael RobertsThe latest available figures are shown in table 1.14 of "Statistics of Education in Wales, No. 5, 1980" which was published on 30 March 1981 and a copy of which is available in the Library. Final figures for 1980–81 are not yet available.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if the reduction referred to in paragraph 9 of Her Majesty's Inspectorate's expenditure policies report on local authorities' programmes of courses of in-service training, including residential courses in Welsh, is in accordance with Government policy.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsExpenditure priorities are for individual LEAs to determine but in formulating our public expenditure proposals, the Government have not planned any reduction in spending on in-service training.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will hold consultations with the Equal Opportunities Commission and with local education authorities, about the implications of the statement in paragraph 7 of Her Majesty's Inspectorate's expenditure policies report, indicating a significant effect on the number of promotion posts available for women as a result of a combination of falling rolls and economies.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsNo. Appointments are the responsibility of local authorities and I would expect them to choose the person best qualified for a post irrespective of sex or political considerations.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report figures for the reduction in the number of part-time teachers employed by local education authorities in Wales in 1980–81, as referred to in paragraph 6 of "The Effects on 145W the Education Service in Wales of Recent Local Authority Expenditure Policies: An Assessment by Her Majesty's Inspectorate".
§ Mr. Michael RobertsI refer the hon. Member to table 10.03 of "Statistics of Education in Wales, No. 5, 1980", a copy of which is available in the Library.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report details of the reduction in in-service training by local education authorities in Wales in 1980–81.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsThe information is not available.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of posts at risk which have been maintained by local education authorities as a result of the first round of specific grant for bilingual education under the Education Act 1980; and how he intends that these posts should be funded in future, as referred to in paragraph 6 of Her Majesty's Inspectorate's report on expenditure policies.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsIt is not possible for me to say how many of the posts concerned would have been at risk were it not for the 1980–81 Welsh language education grants; that is a matter for the local education authorities concerned. Similarly, it is for these authorities to decide what posts to maintain in the future within the overall level of funds available to them. I hope to be able to continue to afford broadly the same level of Welsh language education grants in the coming year.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will seek to identify the "disturbing signs" referred to in paragraph 8 of Her Majesty's Inspectorate's report on the education service in Wales, which indicates that the continuation of present policies will soon result in serious difficulties for some schools.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsThe report comments that the difficulties experienced by some schools cannot be entirely attributed to the economies being affected. Curricular and organisational policies as well as the inherent problems of small schools are contributory factors. I will continue to keep the situation under review.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will investigate the nature of the adverse effects on additional remedial provision through the loss of part-time teachers, principally at primary level as set out in paragraph 6 in "The Effects on the Education Service in Wales of Recent Local Authority Expenditure Policies: An Assessment by Her Majesty"s Inspectorate'.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsI will continue to keep the situation under review.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) which education authority has changed recently from a policy of employing, in much of its area, peripatetic teachers of Welsh, as indicated in paragraph 6 of the expenditure policies report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate;
(2) which local education authorities have made reductions in the advisory services which have in some cases accentuated the existing imbalance in curriculum coverage and also weakened the influence of advisory teams at a time when their work was beginning in many 146W cases to impinge significantly upon schools according to paragraph 12 of Her Majesty's Inspectorate's expenditure policies report;
(3) if he will publish in the Official Report details of the number of advisory teacher posts in each local education authority in Wales in each year since 1974 and express these figures per thousand school population;
(4) how many local education authorities have reduced the actual amount of capitation received by schools in 1980–81 as compared with 1979–80, as mentioned in paragraph 15 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(5) how many local education authorities have set a new range of expenditure items against capitation, such as furniture and equipment, which were previously funded separately, as mentioned in paragraph 15 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(6) in which local education authorities reductions in the budget for advisory work and in travelling allowances have adversely affected the work of advisers, particularly in rural areas, as mentioned in paragraph 12 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(7) in which local education authorities advisers have been required to take joint advisory and administrative responsibilities as mentioned in paragraph 12 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(8) in which local education authorities in Wales there has been a reduction in the provision of non-teaching staff as mentioned in paragraph 13 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies; what are the effects of such reductions in each authority; and how many non-teaching staff posts have been abolished or frozen in 1980–81;
(9) which are the three local education authorities reviewing their administrative arrangements with a view to reducing the number of area offices mentioned in paragraph 12 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(10) which local education authorities in Wales, following local government reorganisation in 1974, built up fairly substantial teams of advisers, and which made few additions to the advisers inherited from their former constituent authorities as mentioned in paragraph 12 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(11) what reductions have taken place in the scope of induction programmes by local education authorities in Wales, as referred to in paragraph 10 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(12) in which local education authorities in Wales the maintenance of school environments is a cause of concern as mentioned in paragraph 18 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies;
(13) which schools, in which local education authorities, are beginning to lose some of the educational advantages afforded by the gradual improving provision of ancillary staff over recent years referred to in paragraph 13 of the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on expenditure policies.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsThe report prepared by Her Majesty's Inspectorate is based on information which is partly qualitative and partly quantitative. The coverage of schools and colleges was neither statistically representative nor fully comprehensive. The considered HMI view of the overall position is that the fabric of education is 147W intact and that the economies which have been made have not seriously affected the range and quality of provision as a whole.
The report is not a detailed assessment of each local education authority; much of the information was obtained by HMI from the LEAs on a confidential basis, and I cannot therefore give details of individual authorities.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many local education authority advisers have been in post in each year since 1974, both in total and as a figure per thousand of the school population; and what advisory services they provided.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsThe Welsh Office does not collect this information.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will consult with local authorities on the reference to "unpredictable timing of cuts in capitation and of subsequent adjustments" in paragraph 15 of Her Majesty's Inspectorate expenditure policies report; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsNo. It is for local authorities to determine their own expenditure policies, including the timing of any reductions in provision which they feel are required.