§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what reports made by district inspectors of Her Majesty's Inspectorate contain assessments of the appropriateness of provision by each local education authority; whether such reports contain any breakdown or analysis of provision; if he will place copies of all such reports for the last year in the Library; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mrs. RumboldEach year, my right hon. Friend publishes a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate on the effects of local authority expenditure policies on education provision in England. The reports are based on evidence from Her Majesty's inspectors' routine and centrally programmed visits to schools and colleges in the previous autumn, together with returns made by district inspectors for each of the 97 local education authorities in England, except for the Isles of Scilly. The district inspector returns consist of statistical and financial information provided by each LEA about overall levels of expenditure and the distribution of resources in the authority; the district inspector's broad assessment of the appropriateness of that provision in each case; and of the impact of any changes. The information collected, while giving some indication of current issues and trends, and providing a reasonable picture of the general position in schools and further and higher education, does not allow judgments to be made about the quality of education in individual LEAs. Statistics for the district inspectors' returns are requested from, and provided by, LEAs in confidence. My right hon. Friend does not propose to place copies in the Library.