§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has made any assessment of resources needed to implement fully at primary level the national curriculum in science and in technology; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarIn determining education's share of the proposed local authority grant settlement an assessment was made of the broad range of pressures facing the education service, including the implementation of the national curriculum in primary schools. The proposed settlement allows for LEAs in England to spend £18,730 million on education in 1992–93. This represents an increase of 7.1 per cent. over last year's settlement, which was itself a 16 per cent. increase over the previous year. Within the grants for education support and training programme of support for the national curriculum in 1992–93, totalling some £176 million, £5.5 million will be earmarked specifically for training courses for primary science teachers, and £15 million will be made available for equipment.