§ Mr. Christopher Hawkinsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has an up-to-date survey of the size and condition of the school buildings used by education authorities.
§ Mr. DunnAn evaluation based on a sample survey carried out by the Department was published in "A Study of School Building" in 1977. Information about the numbers of pupils on roll is collected annually. The Department has no systematic reord in respect of the condition of individual schools, which are the responsibility of the the local education authorities maintaining them; but for the purposes of allocation of capital expenditure, information on the numbers of places expected to be in use in certain types of older schools was collected in 1982 and has just been invited again.
§ Mr. Christopher Hawkinsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, whether he is satisfied with the number and condition of the building stock which is used by educational authorities; and what are his plans to aid local education authorities to improve these buildings in the future.
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§ Mr. DunnIt is for local education authorities to secure that the provision made is adequate to enable them to meet their various statutory duties. To the extent that financial constraint permits, allocations for education capital expenditure take account of information received from authorities on the condition of their buildings. Each authority, however, determines its own priorities for the use of its capital resources. The plans published in the expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9143) allow for an improvement in the level of expenditure by authorities on the repair and maintenance of school buildings provided pay and other costs are contained.