HC Deb 09 June 1982 vol 25 cc123-4W
Sir Anthony Meyer

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report (a) the grants given by the European Community to educational projects in the United Kingdom since 1973, (b) the purpose of each project and (c) the educational institutions involved in other Community member States in any exchange projects thus financed; and whether he will seek increased European Community budgetary appropriations for language teaching in the United Kingdom.

Mr. William Shelton

Grants have been made, under the education co-operation programme agreed by Education Ministers in 1976, to United Kingdom pilot projects designed to assist development of national policies in the area of the transition of young people from school to work and adult life. Over the four years 1978–1982, five such projects will have received a total of nearly £800,000; and research grants will have been received totalling about £150,000.

Other grants have been made available for projects on the education of children of migrant workers; over the period 1976 to 1984 these grants will have totalled about £500,000.

The Community have also given small grants to British universities under a scheme started in 1976 for the development of joint programmes of study between the institutions of higher education in different member States, with a view to assisting student mobility. British institutions have secured 70 per cent. of such grants awarded, from a total fund of about £1 million.

The Community has also distributed small-scale grants to various bodies in the United Kingdom for study visits and other purposes. I shall write to the hon. Member with details of these, and with further information on some of the points covered in this answer.

Expenditure on Co-operatives and Marketing
April-March year £'000
1971 to 1972 1972 to 1973 1973 to 1974 1974 to 1975 1975 to 1976 1976 to 1977 1977 to 1978 1978 to 1979 1979 to 1980 1980 to 1981 1981 to 1982
A 1,052 746 890 909 1,136 815 877 1,108 1,221 1,498 2,139
B 10 66 20 4 239 266 304 327 339 433 369
C 260 247 277 459 463 472 576 645 832 1,384 1,564
Source: Annual appropriation accounts.

Proposals for co-operation in language teaching were submitted to Education Ministers in 1978, but did not secure approval, and consequently there has been no expenditure on it. There is at present no prospect of this decision being reversed.