HC Deb 13 June 1988 vol 135 cc6-8W
Mr. Mullin

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware of any proposals or plans for a city technology college in Sunderland.

Mrs. Rumbold

My right hon. Friend has as yet received no proposals to establish a city technology college in Sunderland. If there is support in industry and in the local community for doing so he would be pleased to consider any proposals which are put forward.

Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount of public funds payable to the City Technology Colleges Trust for each year since its establishment; what grant is planned for future years; for what purpose this grant is payable; and what proportion the grant represents of the total income of the City Technology College Trust for each year.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

Grant is being paid to the City Technology College Trust to support work in obtaining premises for CTCs and in briefing prospective sponsors. It is envisaged that the trust will also provide support for individual CTC bodies, for example, in curriculum and staff development. If so, the Department is prepared to make a temporary contribution to the cost of these activities.

I envisage that grants to the trust for these purposes will not exceed £200,000 over the next three years, including the current financial year, and that the amount of grant will be limited to a maximum of two thirds of the trust's total relevant expenditure. The trust has secured money from private sources to meet the balance. The trust has submitted claims totalling £20,140 in respect of the financial year 1987–88 and is expected to submit claims totalling £90,000 in the current financial year.

Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list respectively, how many officials at what grade, and at what estimated cost(a) comprise his Department's city technology college unit, (b) work outside this unit but in respect of city technology colleges, (c) work on the abolition of the Inner London education authority and (d) work on grant maintained schools.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

(a) The city technology colleges unit comprises:

  • 1 Grade 5
  • 1 Grade 5 HMI for approximately ⅔ of his time
  • 2 Grade 7s
  • 1 Higher Executive Officer
  • 1 Executive Officer
  • 2 Personal Secretaries
  • 1 Administrative Officer

The unit's salary cost is currently about £14,000 per month.

(b) Staff in the architects and building branch are working on design and refurbishment of buildings for CTCs. Currently this involves:

  • 0.75 Grade 6
  • 1 Grade 7
  • 4 Senior Professional and Technology Officers
  • 1 Administrative Officer
This level of commitment is recent and is likely to decline after the summer: the salary cost is currently about £11,000 per month.

(c) The team working on the abolition of ILEA currently comprises:

  • 0.75 Grade 5
  • 1.5 Grade 7
  • 1 Senior Executive Officer
  • 1 Higher Executive Officer (Development)
  • 2 Higher Executive Officers
  • 2 Executive Officers
  • 1.5 Administrative Officers
  • 1 Personal Secretary
  • 1 Typist
  • 1.5 Casual clerical support staff
I expect there to be a modest increase in the staffing of the team if and when the Education Reform Bill is enacted, but the staff salary costs are at present running at about £16,000 per month.

A considerable amount of the time of many other senior officials and their staffs within the Department is also devoted to matters arising from the abolition of the ILEA.

(d) The team currently working on grant-maintained schools comprises:

  • 0.33 Grade 5
  • 0.75 Grade 7
  • 1 Higher Executive Officer (Development)
  • 1 Executive Officer
  • 1 Administrative Assistant
The staff salary costs are about £6,000 per month.