HC Deb 21 December 1989 vol 164 cc349-50W
Mr. Thornton

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he provide estimates showing for each financial year from 1978–79 to 1989–90 the capital spending allocations for(a) local education authorities and (b) voluntary aided and special schools.

Mr. Alan Howarth

Total capital allocations for LEAs, which may be topped up from capital receipts and other sources, from 1981–82 to 1989–90 were as follows, together with figures for actual gross expenditure financed by allocations, capital receipts, and other sources.

£ million £ million
Allocations Gross expenditure
1981–82 355 406.1
1982–83 338 456.1
1983–84 295 469.2
1984–85 300 501.2
1985–86 315 530.2
1986–87 297 574.9
1987–88 306 592.8
1988–89 387 702.0
1989–90 352 n/a

Details of initial allocations to individual LEAs for these years were provided in the reply given to the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) by my right hon. Friend on 7 November 1989, at columns 588–636, and gave the information requested in respect of local education authorities from 1981–82 to 1989–90. Comparable information is not available prior to 1981–82, as local education authorities did not receive block allocations, but were notified annually in the context of a rolling programme of the limit of the value of building starts in the following year.

Payments of grants to voluntary aided and special agreement schools for capital expenditure were as follows:

£ million
1978–79 16.4
1979–80 20.3
1980–81 22.1
1981–82 24.0
1982–83 26.1
1983–84 22.4
1984–85 29.1
1985–86 36.5
1986–87 31.8
1987–88 37.2
1988–89 50.4
1989–90 65.3

Notes:

1. Grant represents 85 per cent. of gross expenditure, 15 per cent. of which is met by governing bodies.

2. Capital grant figures for 1978–79 to 1981–82 are not separately identified from a single building grant figure which included repairs and maintenance. The capital figures shown for this period are based on an apportionment of the building grant figure using the average ratio between capital and repairs during 1982–83 and 1985–86.