§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the average per-capita grant to grant-maintained schools in each year since 1989.
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§ Mr. Robin SquireThe average per-capita recurrent grant to grant-maintained schools in each year since 1989 is as follows:
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Financial year Primary £ Secondary £ 1989–90 Nil 1,970 1990–91 Nil 2,250 1991–92 1,800 2,400 1992–93 1,900 2,450
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what has been the level of funding from his Department to the grant-maintained schools centre for each financial year from 1988–89 to 1993–94; and for what purpose this funding is intended to be used.
§ Mr. Robin SquireSince the establishment of the grant-maintained schools centre in 1988 the following grant has been provided by the Department:
Grant(£000's) 1988–89 25 1989–90 250 1990–91 425 1991–92 600 1992–93 577 1993–94 1198 1 Grant paid to date in 1993–94. Grant is provided: to enable the GMSC to offer factual information and advice to schools about GM status (since March 1993); to support information and advice services for existing GM schools; and to underpin the work of the standing advisory committee for GM schools.
§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the aggregate budget for grant-maintained schools in 1991–92 and 1992–93.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe total amount of grants paid for grant maintained schools in 1991–92 and 1992–93 is as follows:
1991–92 1992–93 £181,900,000 £482,500,000 The bulk of this expenditure is annual maintenance grant which is recouped from the former maintaining authority.
§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has to compensate grant-maintained schools for the extension of value added tax on fuel;
(2) what is his Department's estimate of the proportion of the total budget for grant-maintained schools which will be spent on value-added tax after April 1994.
§ Mr. Robin SquireIt is the Government's policy that special purpose grant should compensate self-governing (grant maintained) schools for the VAT costs they incur. These are currently estimated at 2.5 per cent. of total annual maintenance grant. We will review the estimates in the light of any additional VAT costs placed on self-governing schools. If necessary we will adjust the rate of grant to ensure that self-governing schools are not disadvantaged in comparison with local education authority schools.
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§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total amount spent on fuel by grant-maintained schools in 1991–92 and 1992–93.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThis information is available only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what proposals he has to fund regional offices of the grant-maintained schools centre; where these offices will be based; what criteria are to be used in deciding the location of regional offices; and how much is it proposed to spend on establishing them.
§ Mr. Robin SquireMy right hon. Friend is making grant available to the grant-maintained schools centre to establish and operate regional advice centres to disseminate factual information about grant-maintained status, in accordance with his reply of 16 March to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs) at column143. The first advice centres are planned for Bolton, Kirklees, Birmingham and London. These locations were identified by the grant-maintained schools centre as the most suitable for the purposes of ensuring access to an advice centre for a majority of schools. The cost of establishing and operating the advice centres in 1993–94 is exptected to be approximately £140,000.
§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total amount of value added tax paid to the Treasury by grant-maintained schools in the financial years 1991–92 and 1992–93.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThis information is not collected centrally.