§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what extra money has been given to Suffolk county council to cover the teachers' salary award for 1992–93; and what advice he has given to the authority on how to meet the gap between its budget and its teachers' pay bill;
374W(2) if he will make a statement on the estimates he made of pupil numbers and teachers required for Suffolk county council for 1992–93; and how he expects those estimates to be altered following the teachers' salary settlement for 1992–93.
§ Mr. FallonThe Government are paying additional grant to authorities in England of £56.5 million to help them cover the cost of the increase in teachers' pay recommended by the school teachers review body. Suffolk's share will be some £677,000. The Government's view is that with this additional support LEAs should have adequate headroom within the 1992–93 local authority finance settlement to cover the cost of the teachers' award in full, provided that they exploit their scope for making efficiency savings. It is for individual local authorities and schools with delegated budgets to determine spending priorities, including the number of teachers to be employed. In determining education's share of the overall 1992–93 settlement, the Government took account of the expected growth in pupil numbers nationally; and individual authorities' shares reflect the latest information available about the distribution of school pupils between authorities.