§ Mr. Butcherasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the extent to which local authorities have taken advantage of the microelectronics education programme.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneYes. LEAs are directly involved in 31 projects, accounting for about half the £1.3 million allocated in the first year of the programme. Details are given in the following table.
(1980 Surrey Prices) Estimated cost of project Names of LEA or group of LEAs I980–81 1981–82 Total Consortium of West Midlands LEAs (Warwickshire, Hereford and Wonrcester, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Coventry, Solihull, Sandwell, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham LEAs (11 LEAs) 181,000 91,000 272,000 Consortium of West Midlands LHAs (11 LEAs as above) 10,710 — 10,710 Birmingham Educational Computing Centre (Birmingham LEA) 8,710 — 8,710 The College of St Mark and St John (supported by Devon, Cornwall and Somerset LEAs) (3 LEAs) 77,200 15,800 93,000 Walsall LEA 25,740 — 25,740 Durham LEA 5,131 2,928 8,059 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire LEAs (2) 29,800 10,200 40,000 Consortium of London and Kent LEAs (ILEA, Kent LEA, London Boroughs of Bromley, Bexley and Croydon) (5 LEAs) 60,000 — 60,000 London Borough of Bexley 3,160 4,440 7,600 Welsh Joint Education Committee (Clwyd, Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed, West Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and Gwent LEAs) (8 LEAs) 40,000 40,000 80,000 Total 441,451 164,368 605,819