§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list the company or companies intending to invest in Brighton's city technology college at Woodingdean;
(2) what sums of money the private sponsors investing in the new city technology college at Woodingdean, Brighton, will be putting into that project in the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92;
(3) when it is estimated that the Brighton city technology college will be open to receive pupils; and how many pupils will be received in the first year of operation;
(4) what guarantees he has had from the Faraday Trust that adequate sponsorship for the Brighton city technology college project will be forthcoming; and what percentage of the total cost of the project will be provided by the private sector;
(5) what references have been provided for the private sector supporters of the Brighton city technology college; and what measures have been taken to check on those references;
(6) what discussions have recently taken place between Ministers and officials from his Department, local education authority representatives and representatives from the Faraday Trust; and what the contents of those discussions were;
(7) what information he has on the curriculum and admissions policy to be followed by the Brighton city technology college.
§ Mrs. RumboldI refer the hon. Member to the pursuant reply that my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) on Thursday 26 April 1990,Official Report, column 270.
§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) in respect of the Brighton city technology college what sums of public money have directly and indirectly been paid over to. or repaid by, Mr. Ivor Revere390W or to or by any company with which he has been associated; and if, in every case, he will give details of each transaction including date, amount, payee and drawer;
(2) if he will list for each payment forming any part of the sums of £2.3 million and £2.5 million specified in those answers to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Grocott) of 20 October 1989, Official Report, column 264 and the hon. Member for Blackburn of 24 April in respect of the Brighton city technology college, the amount and date of each payment, the payee and the drawer.
§ Mr. MacGregorIn June 1989 a sum of £250,000 was paid from public funds as a deposit for the purchase of the site of the former Fitzherbert school in Brighton. The balance of the price, £2,250,000, was paid from public funds in September 1989. Those sums were paid to the CTC trust and thence to solicitors acting for the trust and by them to solicitors acting for the initial purchaser, Mr. Ivor Revere. In December 1989 the CTC trust discovered that the purchase price of £2.5 million included a commission of £200,000 charged by Mr. Revere. This was immediately recovered and returned to public funds.
§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what factors account for the difference between the figure given in his answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn,Official Report, 24 April for the sum paid from public funds for the acquisition of the proposed city technology college site in Brighton, and that given in his answer to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Grocott) of 20 October 1989, Official Report, column 264.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe figure of £2.5 million quoted in my hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Grocott) on 20 October 1989,Official Report, column 264, included a commission charged by the then principal sponsor of the proposed Brighton CTC who purchased the site initially before its transfer to the CTC trust. The commission was repaid immediately once the CTC trust discovered that it had been charged. The net cost of the site to public funds is £2.3 million, excluding legal expenses, as I told the hon. Member on 24 April, Official Report, column 145.
§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer of 24 April,Official Report, column 146, what consultations he is undertaking as part of his review of the proposed Brighton city technology college, following the withdrawal of the principal sponsor; and what deadline he has set for the conclusion of these discussions.
§ Mr. MacGregorI refer the hon. Member to the pursuant reply that I gave to him on Thursday 26 April 1990,Official Report column 270. Consultations were undertaken with the Michael Faraday Trust.