HC Deb 17 November 1981 vol 13 cc126-9W
Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many 16 to 19-year-olds, and what proportion of the age group, are undertaking education; and if he will give details of the kind of education.

Mr. Waldegrave

In the academic year 1980–81, 1,143,000 young people aged 16, 17 and 18 at August 1980 (47 per cent. of the age group) were undertaking full-time or part education, in school, university and public sector colleges in England and Wales. The detailed breakdown by type of education is as follows:

Number of students (000s) Percentage of age group
Schools 405 17
Non-advanced further education full-time and sandwich study 236 10
part-time day release study 287 12
other part-time day study 32 1
evening only study 112 5
Higher education (all modes of attendance) 70 3

Mr. Goodhew

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement, further to the Prime Minister's on 27 July, about the additional resources for the education of 16 to 19-year-olds.

Sir Keith Joseph

As the Prime Minister announced on 27 July—[Vol. 9, c. 834]—the Government are providing for an additional £60 million of public expenditure in the United Kingdom in 1982–83, to permit an extra 50,000 young people to stay on at school or college. The plans provide for £49.5 million of this total to be incurred in England in 1982–83; and for additional expenditure in England of £74 million in 1983–84.

Present conditions are encouraging more young people to continue their education after they reach the age of 16 so as to improve their skills. Local education authorities are eager to help and many authorities are already making great efforts.

Following discussion with the local authority associations, I have determined that the £49.5 million of additional planned expenditure in 1982–83 should be added to the total relevant expenditure for rate support grant purposes. There will be a corresponding increase in the total of local education authorities' grant-related expenditure (GRE), which will be apportioned between individual authorities according to estimates of the incidence of youth unemployment. Individual authorities' GREs in 1982–83 will thus be increased as follows:

£000s
Barking 178
Barnet 136
Bexley 162
Brent 190
Bromley 176
Croydon 211
Ealing 272
Enfield 92
Haringey 260
Harrow 70
Havering 209
Hillingdon 157
Hounslow 165
Kingston-upon-Thames 53
Merton 121
Newham 291
Redbridge 130
Richmond-upon-Thames 63
Sutton 99
Waltham Forest 217
OUTER LONDON BOROUGHS 3,252
Inner London Education Authority 2,627
Birmingham 1,523
Coventry 425
Dudley 296
Sandwell 572
Solihull 278
Walsall 384
Wolverhampton 504
Knowsley 347
Liverpool 1,013
St. Helens 294
Sefton 358
Wirral 478
Bolton 360
Bury 194
Manchester 777
Oldham 303
Rochdale 286
Salford 340
Stockport 318
Tameside 273
Trafford 223
Wigan 444
Barnsley 369
Doncaster 541
Rotherham 423
Sheffield 766
Bradford 501
Calderdale 239

£000s
Kirklees 566
Leeds 750
Wakefield 447
Gateshead 358
Newcastle upon Tyne 451
North Tyneside 272
South Tyneside 352
Sunderland 556
METROPOLITAN DISTRICTS 16,581
Isles of Scilly 2
Avon 872
Bedfordshire 481
Berkshire 542
Buckinghamshire 347
Cambridgeshire 487
Cheshire 1,139
Cleveland 1,031
Cornwall 278
Cumbria 592
Derbyshire 1,059
Devon 813
Dorset 368
Durham 826
East Sussex 346
Essex 1,236
Gloucestershire 465
Hampshire 1,301
Hereford and Worcester 562
Hertfordshire 724
Humberside 1,644
Isle of Wight 82
Kent 1,404
Lancashire 1,337
Leicestershire 770
Lincolnshire 624
Norfolk 535
North Yorkshire 467
Northamptonshire 584
Northumberland 319
Nottinghamshire 1,243
Oxfordshire 373
Shropshire 383
Somerset 280
Staffordshire 1,226
Suffolk 503
Surrey 503
Warwickshire 504
West Sussex 356
Wiltshire 432
NON-METROPOLITAN COUNTIES 27,040
ENGLAND 49,500

The increase in relevant expenditure will attract additional exchequer rate support grant at the rate determined for the grant settlement for 1982–83. The increases in GRE will therefore be reflected in authorities' grant entitlements. The best estimate is that nationally about 40 per cent.—approaching 20,000—of the additional young people will stay on in schools, and 60 per cent.—approaching 30,000—enrol for full-time courses in colleges of further education. How the additional resources are applied locally will be a matter for each individual authority to decide in the light of its particular circumstances, taking account of the balance of its educational provision and the nature of the demand from its young people. Many authorities are already responding, within the resources available to them, to the growing demand for education from 16 to 19-year-olds that is evident in many parts of the country. I am confident that all will try to make the best use of the resources available in order to offer young people courses of value to themselves, their future employers and the nation.

I shall review the arrangements for subsequent years in respect of this additional educational provision in the light of authorities' response to the Government's initiative in 1982–83.