HC Deb 12 April 1988 vol 131 cc44-5W
Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in theOfficial Report, for each education authority in Scotland, the number of applications received for financial assistance for school clothing under the Education Acts, the number of grants

£'000
Financial year
Education authority 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87
Borders 13 18 30 37 48
Central 248 324 393 375 369
Dumfries and Galloway 26 32 44 1
Fife 18 33 116 128 190
Grampian 4 8 11 9 32
Highland 32 63 93 119 116
Lothian 122 180 248 126 168
Strathclyde 1,937 2,917 3,034 3,227 3,294
Tayside 90 139 188 224 229
Orkney 4 4 5 5 7
Shetland
Western Isles 19 37 18 20 20
Total 2,513 3,755 4,180 4,270 4,474

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in theOfficial Report the amounts budgeted for expenditure in the next financial year by each local education authority in Scotland to meet the demand for clothing grants under the education grants, shown separately as an amount per eligible pupil at school in each region.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

This information is not held centrally.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider making a specific grant to each education authority in Scotland to cope with increases in applications for financial assistance for clothing grants under the Education Acts.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to direct resources into a specific grant for the purpose of supporting expenditure by local authorities on clothing grants made under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. It is for authorities to determine the level of their spending for this purpose from within the resources available to them.