HC Deb 18 March 1985 vol 75 cc386-7W
Mr. Best

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the figures, expressed in constant terms, for overall expenditure on education in Wales and for the number of school pupils for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available: and if he will express the expenditure figures as an amount per pupil in each year.

Mr. John Stradling Thomas

The education expenditure figures and school pupil numbers for the 10 years commencing with 1974–75 are as shown in the following Table. In expressing costs per school pupil, figures based on local authority current expeniture on schools have also been included.

(1) Financial Year (2) Net education expenditure at 1983–84 prices (3) Net local authority current expenditure on schools at 1983–84 prices (4) School pupil numbers (at January each year) (5) Overall education expenditure expressed as cost per pupil in real terms (6) L A. current schools expenditure expressed as cost per pupil in real terms
(£ million) (£ million) (thousands) £ £
1974–75 730.4 461.6 547.3 1,335 843
1975–76 741.3 476.2 552.8 1,321 861
1976–77 721.0 473.9 553.3 1,352 856
1977–78 663.6 455.2 549.9 1,207 828
1978–79 670.8 458.8 543.1 1,235 845
1979–80 648.2 448.5 533.4 1,215 841
1980–81 666.4 464.7 520.2 1,281 893
1981–82 661.3 468.6 506.9 1,305 924
1982–83 669.3 466.5 494.1 1,355 944
1983–84 673.0 470.0 485.6 1,386 968

Notes on the Figures

1. Overall expenditure figures are on the same basis as those shown in table 3.16 of the Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9428-II) and include net current and capital expenditure of the department and local authorities in Wales. They exclude expenditure outside our pogramme responsibilities namely on Universities and mandatory student awards.

2. Out-turn expenditure figures have been converted to real terms (1983–84 basis) by the applicaion of the GDP deflator.

3. School pupil numbers are the full time equivalents of pupils in nursery, primary and secondary schools as at Januay each year.