HC Deb 23 July 1991 vol 195 cc469-70W
Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy to ensure the provision of resources at the level necessary to maintain a rural education presence in isolated communities.

Dr. Mawhinney

The Government continue to recognise that Northern Ireland require a relatively high number of small rural schools. Education authorities are required to ensure that their local management of schools arrangements provide adequate resources to all schools which must remain in operation, regardless of their size.

Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of the cash value and age-weighted pupil units allocated by each education and library board in Northern Ireland under the local management of schools to(a) pupils attending secondary schools and (b) pupils attending grammar schools.

Dr. Mawhinney

The age-weighting of pupils depend on the form attended. There is no distinction between secondary and grammar school pupil weightings. The range of age-weightings in each education and library board is:

Prisoners released on licence from indeterminate sentences imposed for terrorist murder of civilians
Number released by years served Total

released
Year 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
1982 — — — 1 — — — 1 — — — 2
1983 — 2 — — — — — — — — — 2
1984 1 — — — — — — — — — — 1
1985 — 4 3 — — — — — — — — 7
1986 — 1 6 1 1 1 — — — — — 10
1987 — 1 — 6 6 3 2 — — — — 18
1988 — 1 3 — 4 7 2 1 — — — 18
1989 — — — 1 2 5 10 3 5 — — 26
1990 — — — — 1 5 20 21 — 2 — 49

Form 1 Form 2 Form 3 Form 4 Form 5 Form 6
BELB 1.80 1.75 1.85 1.95 2.00 2.30
NEELB 1.83 1.75 1.83 1.92 2.02 2.50
SEELB 1.90 1.80 1.90 2.00 2.00 2.10
SELB 1.60 1.60 1.60 1.80 1.80 2.50
WELB 1.66 1.66 1.66 1.66 1.66 2.32

The cash value of each age-weighting pupil unit reflects the different approaches in each board area and values not, therefore, directly comparable.

AWPU £
BELB 813.79
NEELB 788.75
SEELB 730.92
SELB 852.35
WELB 812.25

Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the value in cash terms of the monies retained by each education and library board in Northern Ireland to provide advisory services to schools; and what percentage of the funds allocated to each board this cash sum represents.

Dr. Mawhinney

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave on 17 June 1991 at column34–35.