§ Mr. Patrick ThompsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will reconsider the fifth report of Session 1990–91 from the Education, Science and Arts Committee, and the first report of the School Teachers Review Body and take steps to clarify the arrangements for the funding of education.
§ Mr. ForthThe Government do not accept that there is any lack of clarity about the current arrangements for funding education. Under these arrangements the great bulk of central Government support for local authority expenditure is through revenue support grant which is not earmarked for particular services. Central Government are accountable for its overall support for local government spending through revenue support grant, while individual local authorities are accountable to their electorates for the decisions they take both about their overall spending and the balance of that spending between and within services.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what response he has made to the evidence submitted to his Department by the Association of County Councils on the likely vulnerability of shared local education authority/funding agency transitional arrangements.
§ Mr. ForthThe ACC's comments on the proposals in the White Paper have been carefully considered. In addition, my right hon. Friend has had a meeting with representatives of the ACC.