§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what reports and information were available to his Department in considering the 1987–88 capital allocations for local education authorities; what information was available on (a) the age, suitability and condition of each authority's school accommodation, (b) the age, suitability and condition of each authority's other educational accommodation, (c) the extent to which each authority had removed surplus places, (d) the capital receipts likely to be available to each authority and (e) the extent to which each authority had made provision to implement the Education Act 1981 concerning children with special needs, and the further requirement for such provision; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what criteria were used in determining the 1987–88 capital allocations for local education authorities; to what extent consideration was given to (a) the age, suitability and condition of each authority's school accommodation, (b) the age, suitability and condition of each authority's other educational accommodation, (c) the extent to which each authority had removed surplus places, (d) the capital receipts likely to be available to each authority and (e) the extent to which each authority had made provision to implement the Education Act 1981 concerning children with special needs, and the further requirement for such provision; and if he will make a statement;
§ Mr. DunnThe Department does not collect comprehensive information in categories(a) to (e). Every 444W year, all local education authorities send to the Department details of their capital expenditure plans for the following financial year. Individual local education authorities' allocations of prescribed capital expenditure on schools for 1987–88 were calculated, on the basis of the information thus supplied, by giving priority to committed expenditure (up to a level previously notified to the authority), expenditure on projects required to meet basic need, and expenditure required in connection with the removal of surplus school places. What remained was allocated by means of a formula based on information supplied by LEAs about the incidence of substandard school accommodation and on each authority's planned expenditure in other categories relating to schools. For further and higher education, priority was given to committed expenditure (on the same basis as for schools), tertiary projects arising from statutory proposals to remove surplus places, and the provision of computers and technical equipment. This general approach, which has been in use for a number of years, was devised after discussions with the local authority associations.