§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will set out Her Majesty's Government's policy on adult education in Scotland;
(2) what plans he has to issue guidelines to local authorities regarding provision of adult education in Scotland; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what proposals he has to promote adult education in Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythEducation authorities in Scotland have a duty under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to ensure that there is available in their areas adequate and efficient provision of further education, and this includes voluntary part-time and full-time courses of instruction for persons over school age and social, cultural and recreative activities. Adult education is one element of this provision. Education authorities decide for themselves the level of provision in the light of local needs and 115W circumstances, and having regard to the activities of other institutions providing further education or promoting its development.
The Government monitor developments in further education and, using resources available centrally, encourage particular areas of activity and provide support to a range of bodies and voluntary organisations whose functions include the promotion, development and provision of further education. But the education authorities determine their own adult education programmes and respond to needs as they arise in their localities. The Government have no plans to issue guidelines to authorities.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to earmark central Government educational expenditure grant for the provision of adult education in local education authorities in Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythGeneral support for local authority services is provided through revenue support grant which affords local authorities maximum discretion to choose their own spending priorities. The excellent revenue support grant settlement for 1989–90 should afford authorities plenty of scope to provide such adult education services as they deem appropriate.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list in theOfficial Report figures for the past five years showing what financial resources were devoted to adult education in Scotland broken down by education authority area on a per capita basis;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report total expenditure on adult education in Scotland shown at constant 1979 prices for 1979 to the latest year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythExpenditure on adult education is one element of expenditure on further, higher and community education and cannot be identified separately.