§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the Audit Commission on transferring responsibility for the auditing of city technology colleges from the colleges themselves to the Audit Commission; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthMy right hon. Friend has had no such discussions. It is a requirement on city technology colleges that they have annual audit reports by qualified external auditors appointed by the college. There are no plans to transfer the responsibility for auditing city technology colleges to the Audit Commission.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the land and sites presently held by the City Technology College Trust; and what are the future proposals for each site.
§ Mr. ForthThe only land presently held by the City Technology College Trust is the site of the former Fitzherbert school, Brighton. The CTC Trust has been actively marketing the site, and is engaged in currrent negotiations to sell it.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the circumstances surrounding the purchase by the the City Technology College Trust of the former Fitzherbert school in Brighton; and what amount of public money was used to acquire the school.
§ Mr. ForthThe former Fitzherbert school in Brighton was purchased in June 1989 as the site of a proposed city technology college. The cost to public funds was £2.3 million net of legal expenses.
§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will give the names of the CTC original headteachers who no longer hold the post and the reasons for their departures.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the names of principals of each of the city technology colleges; and what information he has on their dates of appointment.
§ Mr. ForthThe names and dates of appointment of the current principal, or equivalent, of each CTC are as follows:
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College Title Name Date of appointment Britschool Principal Anne Rumney January 1990 Brooke Principal Gareth Newman September 1990 Haberdashers' Director Roy Baldock November 1990 Thomas Telford Headmaster Kevin Satchwell January 1991 ADT Chief Executive Richard Painter October 1990 Landau Forte Principal Peter Shackleton September 1990 None of these are new appointments made since the establishment of the colleges.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 7 July,Official Report, column 120, how many times officials from his Department have had the books and accounts of city technology colleges opened to them; and if he will list the colleges concerned and the dates of each such inspection.
§ Mr. ForthAuditing of city technology colleges is the function of external auditors appointed by each college. The Department requires colleges to submit their accounts and auditors' reports soon after the end of each financial year. In addition, the Department's internal audit division has visited each of the colleges at least once since they have opened in order to provide advice on accounting matters to both the colleges and to the Department.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what amounts of public money are estimated to be spent on the funding of city technology colleges for(a) 1992–93. (b) 1993–94 and (c) 1994–95, respectively.
§ Mr. ForthPlanned expenditure on city technology colleges by the Department for Education in the financial years specified is as follows:
- 1992–93—£54 million
- 1993–94—£55 million
- 1994–95—£56 million