§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the percentage of schools using temporary or prefabricated classrooms; and what measures he is taking to enable local education authorities to provide permanent classrooms.
§ Mr. ForthThe information requested is not held centrally. However, the 1986 survey of school buildings 191W showed that of the 392 primary and 403 secondary schools sampled, 7 per cent. of the primary and 6 per cent. of secondary teaching accommodation were in temporary accommodation.
We have provided significant capital resources for school buildings in recent years. Capital expenditure per pupil in maintained schools increased by 19 per cent. in real terms between 1978–79 and 1990–91.
It is for local education authorities to ensure that the school buildings within their responsibility are in a satisfactory condition. It is also for LEAs to determine their priorities for capital expenditure from the resources available to them. They have complete flexibility to give a high priority to the replacement of temporary accommodation if they wish.