HC Deb 07 February 1986 vol 91 cc268-70W
Mr. Baldry

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what allocation has been made in the current year for building work on voluntary aided and church schools in Oxfordshire; to which schools money was allocated; and what were the criteria for allocations.

Mr. Dunn

Oxfordshire's allocation for grant-aided building works in voluntary schools for 1986–87 is £470,000. This sum covers committed expenditure and is allocated for the current project at the recently established St. Augustine of Canterbury ecumenical school, Oxford. In making allocations for the aided building programme nationally, first priority was given to expenditure committed to projects already under way. This took up about two thirds of the available resources. The remainder was allocated, first, to projects to provide new school places in areas of population growth; second to those related to approved statutory proposals involving the removal of surplus places; and, finally, to a small number of projects which were urgently and unavoidably needed because of serious dilapidation of school buildings.

Mr. Pike

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he has made to the representations from Lancashire county council for additional funding for the repair and maintenance programme for school buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Dunn

My right hon. Friend has not received any representations from Lancashire county council.

Mr. Pike

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will pay an official visit to Lancashire to discuss with representatives of the local education authority the current repair and maintenance programme for school buildings in both the county and aided sectors and the adequacy of the current level of resources available for it; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Dunn

My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans to pay an official visit to Lancashire in the near future. The repair and maintenance of school buildings is the responsibility of the local education authority, with the exception of external repairs to school buildings in the aided sector which are the responsibility of the school governors, and on which 85 per cent. grant is available from the Government.

Mr. Pike

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he proposes to receive a delegation of county councillors, officials and hon. Members from Lancashire regarding the school repairs and maintenance programme for the county; and if he will make a statement.

16-year-olds in maintained schools 17-year-olds in maintained schools
Region Number Proportion* 'Staying On' per cent. Number Proportion† 'Staying On' per cent.
North 11,047 23.5 7,449 15.4
Yorkshire and Humberside 19,010 24.8 12,158 15.8
North West 22,371 22.7 15,707 15.6
East Midlands 14,110 23.8 9,376 15.6
West Midlands 18,835 23.0 12,671 15.3
East Anglia 6,579 25.0 3,962 14.8
Greater London 29,667 35.3 15,228 17.4
Other South East 45,301 31.6 28,757 19.5
South West 14,424 23.8 9,606 15.5
England 181,344 26.7 114,914 16.6

* The proportion of 16-year-olds staying on at school expresses the number of 16-year-olds in school in January 1985 as a percentage of the number of 15-year-olds in school one year earlier.

† The proportion of 17-year-olds staying on at school expresses the number of 17-year-olds in school in January 1985 as a percentage of the number of 15-year-olds in school two years earlier.

Mr. Sheerman

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give on a regional basis a breakdown of destinations of school-leavers of (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 years of age.

England
Leavers from maintained schools: 1983–84
Intended Destination—Percentages
Region Age* Full-time Further & Higher Education Courses Available for Employment† Not Known
North 15 10.3 77.1 12.6
16 20.0 63.5 16.6
17 57.6 32.7 9.8
Yorkshire and Humberside 15 13.1 75.3 11.6
16 19.8 66.9 13.2
17 59.1 32.9 8.1
North West 15 19.0 65.7 15.3
16 21.6 60.2 18.2
17 59.2 31.1 9.7
East Midlands 15 17.3 69.9 12.9
16 21.3 56.6 22.0
17 59.7 32.9 7.5
West Midlands 15 19.5 66.7 13.8
16 22.5 59.3 18.1
17 56.9 35.2 7.9
East Anglia 15 21.7 67.7 10.6
16 29.0 58.5 12.3
17 48.4 45.7 6.0

Mr. Dunn

While my right hon. Friend would be willing to receive a delegation of county councillors, officials and hon. Members, he has not been asked to do so.