§ Mr. Silvesterasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list initiatives by his Department which have been of benefit specifically to the north-east, north-west and Yorkshire and Humberside regions since 1979.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe Government are pursuing their principal aims for raising standards and securing better value for money in all sectors of education and for increasing participation of school leavers in higher and further education through legislative and other measures which have specific benefits for the regions concerned. For example, Cumbria, Humberside, Cheshire, North Yorkshire and Northumberland are amongst 14 local education authorities participating in a programme, funded by the Department through education support grant, to identify cost-effective means of enriching the curriculum in small rural primary schools. Authorities in these regions will also benefit from ESGs for a range of other activities and from the separate grant scheme for in-service teacher training.
Funding under special initiatives within the AFE pool—for biotechnology, research and engineering and technology—for selected polytechnics in the region amounted to £775,000 in 1985–86 and £895,000 in 1986–87.
The advice on target student numbers given by the NAB and accepted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has allowed for an increase of 13.7 per cent. in full time equivalent student numbers in local authority HE in the region, compared with 11.4 per cent. nationally, between 1982–83 and 1986–87.
In addition, my right hon. Friend's proposals for city technology colleges are designed to benefit a number of urban areas in these regions