EDUCATION SUPPORT GRANTS (Hansard, 12 June 1984)

§ The Earl of Swinton

The Education (Grants and Awards) Act 1984 empowers my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science to pay education support grants to local education authorities in England. The aim of education support grants is to encourage local education authorities to redeploy a limited amount of expenditure into activities which appear to my right honourable friend to be of particular importance. Education support grants should have an important contribution to make

Category	Expenditure envisaged will be supported through ESGs in FY 1985–86 (cash)	Professional assessment of number of LEAs to be supported	Likely length of support
A. The management and appraisal of school teachers	£1 million	up to 6 (in a single consortium)	5 years
B. The teaching of mathematics in schools	£3¼ million	the majority	up to 3 years
C. The teaching of science as part of primary education	£2 million	about 40	up to 3 years
D. The provision of microelectronic equipment designed or adapted for use by children with special educational needs	£2¼ million	about half of all LEAs	1 year (with the possibility of support for further expenditure in 1986–87)
E. Pilot projects to provide records of achievement for young people in secondary schools and colleges	£2¼ million	5 to 10 schemes (more LEAs if consortia are formed)	3 years (with a possible extension to 5)

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in promoting continuing improvements in the education service and in assisting local education authorities to respond to changing demands.

It is intended that the first education support grants will be available in the 1985–86 financial year. Expenditure supported through education support grants in England will not exceed £30m in cash in that year. Grant will be paid at the rate of 70 per cent, of the amount of expenditure approved for support through education support grants.

My right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Science and for Wales will shortly be laying regulations before Parliament setting out the purposes for or in connection with which they propose to pay education support grants in 1985–86. These regulations will be subject to approval by both Houses of Parliament. The laying of regulations follows consultations that my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science has had with the Association of County Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and consultations my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Wales is having with the appropriate local authority organisations in Wales.

The following table shows, for the purposes to be set out in the regulations, the amount of expenditure which it is envisaged will be supported through education support grants in the financial year 1985–86 in England, a provisional assessment of the number of LEAs likely to be supported and the length of such support. The precise division of the £30m between these purposes and the number of authorities to be supported will not be settled until applications have been received and considered.

Should Parliament approve the regulations, a circular inviting bids will be sent to all education authorities in England. As the local authority associations have requested that decisions on the bids to be supported should be announced prior to the settling of budgets for 1985–86, it is proposed that local education authorities be asked to submit bids by 1st October. It is envisaged that decisions on the applications will be announced in December.

In order to ensure that there is no misunderstanding about the reasons for the choice of the proposed activities to be supported through education support grants and to assist local education authorities in considering how they will respond to the Government's proposals, a copy of the draft circular is being sent today to each local education authority. Copies of the draft circular are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

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Category	Expenditure envisaged will be supported through ESGs in FY 1985–86 (cash)	Provisional assessment of number of LEAs to be supported	Likely length of support
F. Pilot projects to improve the quality of education provided in primary schools in urban areas	£½ million	up to 9	2–5 years
G. Pilot projects to improve the quality or the range of the curriculum provided in primary schools in rural areas	£¼ million	4 starting in September 1985 (with the possibility of further projects starting in September 1986)	up to 5 years
H. Pilot projects to meet the educational needs of those from ethnic minorities, to promote harmony between different racial groups or in other ways to prepare pupils and students for life in a multi-ethnic society	£1 million	a small number	3 years
I. The provision of retraining and updating courses directed towards the needs of industry and commerce (PICKUP)	£2 million	a substantial number	up to 2 years (exceptionally 3)
J. The development of the use of information technology at further education establishments, by providing equipment, preparing or providing course material and computer software, or training teachers employed at such establishments	£13 million (£10 million on hardware)	the majority	2 years with a reduced level of funding for a further 3 years
K. The planning, development and co-ordination of provision to meet the educational needs of those who are unemployed (excluding those currently receiving full-time education)	£1½ million	about half of all LEAs	2 years (with a possible extension to 4)
L. The provision of data processing equipment, and accessories and software for such equipment, for use in the management of FE establishments	£1 million	a substantial number	1 year (with the possibility of support for additional establishments in 1986–87)