HC Deb 03 April 1981 vol 2 c163W
Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what reviews have been made of the potential for teaching artictic skills, for example, drawing and painting, to severely handicapped children through the use of remote controlled arms under microcomputer control;

(2) what reviews have been undertaken by technical officers of his Department of the potential for severely handicapped children to learn craft skills such as textile design through the use of suitably adapted microcomputers.

Mr. Macfarlane

My Department has not undertaken and is not aware of any reviews of the potential uses of microcomputers in these specific areas. It is intended that

£ millions
1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 (estimated) 1981–82 (forecast)
November 1980 prices 613.2 628.2 652.8 610.5 545.6
Outturn/estimated outturn prices 390.0 433.4 511.4 544.6 582.1

These figures cover all expenditure on advanced further education (AFE) in England and Wales chargeable to the AFE pool or pools, as notified at March 1981. They include expenditure on: teacher training (including in-service training of teachers); the training of youth and community workers; Crombie compensation and Burnham safeguarding payments; recharged central administration; loan charges; rents; and capital expenditure from revenue. Composite evaluation factors (estimates in the case of the last two years) have been applied to convert outturn/ estimated outturn prices into November 1980 prices.

As from 1981–82 the English and Welsh pools have been separated. The Welsh component of the 1981–82 figures is £23.3 millions at November 1980 prices, and £24.8 millions at estimated outturn prices.

About half of the reduction at November 1980 prices between 1980–81 and 1981–82 reflects the assumed increases in revenue in respect of overseas students and catering and residence facilities.