§ 22. Dr. Marekasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the level of expenditure per pupil on text and library books in primary schools.
§ Mr. Chris PattenSince 1979, spending per primary school pupil on books has increased slightly in real terms as measured by the GDP deflator; it is also encouraging to note that, in their report on "The effects of local authority expenditure policies on education provision in England—1984" Her Majesty's inspectors stated that the level of book provision in primary schools was "satisfactory or better in over four-fifths of LEAs." However, the Government acknowledge that a limited increase in expenditure on books is needed to support their policies for the primary schools. Our expenditure plans allow authorities to continue to give some priority to this area of expenditure so long as they take advantage of the scope for savings elsewhere in the education budget and contain their costs.