§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science pursuant to the oral answer given to the hon. Member for Torridge and Devon, West from the Under-Secretary of State on 27 February,Official Report, column 125, if he will specify how the Devon county council capital expenditure priorities differ from those of the Government.
§ Mr. Alan HowarthIn formulating annual capital guidelines for education for local education authorities for 1990–91, priority was given to items in LEAs' plans for committed expenditure flowing from projects covered in earlier capital allocations, new projects to meet population growth, new projects to remove surplus places, and to new major building projects at colleges. Any remaining resources were distributed by formula for improvement work in schools. Annual capital guidelines are, however,274W only indicative: local authorities are free to spend above the level indicated if they choose to finance such expenditure from receipts or other sources. Most of Devon LEA's plans were in respect of commitments over and above those allowed for in the department's previous allocations, and of improvement work in schools for which available resources fell well short of LEAs' plans.