HC Deb 17 January 1991 vol 183 cc552-3W
Mr. Ralph Howell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North dated 23 November 1990,Official Report, column 217, if he will show the total expenditure on State education in actual and 1989 prices, in 1961, 1970, 1980 and 1989, showing the per cent. increase at 1989 prices; and the amount spent on teachers' salaries and related costs in each case, in actual 1989 prices and in per cent. terms, and also the per cent. increase in each case since 1980.

Mr. Eggar

Data for 1961 are not readily available. The earliest year for which data are available on a comparable basis is 1968–69. The data for that and the subsequent years on total education spending, and on spending on school teachers' salaries in England, are as follows:

Total education spending
Cash terms 1989–90 prices Increase over previous year Increase since 1980
£ billion £ billion Per cent. Per cent.
1968–69 2.1 15.2
1970–71 2.6 16.5 9
1980–81 12.9 21.9 33
1988–89 22.0 23.4 7 7
1989–90 24.1 24.1 3 10

Teachers' salaries
Cash terms 1989–90 prices Increase over previous year Increase since 1980
£ billion £ billion Per cent. Per cent.
1968–69 0.5 3.7
1970–71 0.6 4.1 11
1980–81 3.7 6.3 54
1988–89 6.6 7.0 11 11
1989–90 n/a n/a

Notes to tables:

1. The total education spending figures are drawn from the education tables of the relevant Public Expenditure White Papers.

2. The figures for spending on teachers' salaries are drawn from local authority spending returns. Data for 1989–90 are not yet available. Spending on teachers' salaries includes on-costs such as superannuation. No account is taken of changes in teacher numbers over the period shown.

3. The columns headed "increase over previous year" show the increase in spending at 1989–90 prices over the previous year.

4. The figures at 1989–90 prices have been calculated using latest GDP deflators.