§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will set out for each local authority in rank order the expenditure on major discretionary awards per head of adult population in the latest year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. BoswellThe available information on discretionary awards made at between 50 per cent. and 100 per cent. of the mandatory rate is given in the table.
205W
Total expenditure on full value1 discretionary awards per head of the adult population2 Local authority 1991–92 (£) Cumbria 16.02 North Yorkshire 14.27 Walsall 9.84 Knowsley 9.79 Cheshire 8.94 Powys 8.92 Leicestershire 8.15 Wirral 7.65 Westminster 7.52 Dorset 7.42 Hackney 7.37 Devon 7.10 Corporation of London 7.08 Richmond upon Thames 7.02 Liverpool 7.00 Durham 6.76 Lancashire 6.70 Islington 6.42 Suffolk 6.28 Shropshire 6.15 Humberside 6.11 Kirklees 5.79 Kingston upon Thames 5.68 Gloucestershire 5.62 Kensington and Chelsea 5.41 Barnsley 5.27 Clwyd 5.21 Cleveland 5.04 Brent 5.01 Avon3 4.96 Camden 4.92 Ealing 4.79 Hampshire 4.72 Sunderland 4.71 206W
Local authority 1991–92 (£) Bradford 4.68 Newham 4.49 Lewisham 4.47 North Tyneside 4.46 West Glamorgan 4.45 Bromley 4.42 Southwark 4.41 Tower Hamlets 4.39 Norfolk 4.31 Sefton 4.31 South Tyneside 4.26 Kent 4.09 South Glamorgan 4.06 Barking 3.96 Bury 3.80 Waltham Forest 3.72 Lincolnshire 3.66 Wakefield 3.51 Redbridge 3.43 Cornwall and Scilly Isles4 3.35 Isle of Wight 3.32 Greenwich 3.31 Berkshire 3.29 Hereford and Worcester 3.22 Gateshead 3.20 Bexley 3.14 Leeds 3.11 Wiltshire 3.08 Gwent 3.08 Cambridgeshire 3.05 Somerset 3.04 Hertfordshire 3.04 Trafford 2.90 Sutton 2.83 Lambeth 2.75 Nottinghamshire 2.68 Oxfordshire 2.65 Northumberland 2.57 Northamptonshire 2.55 Rotherham 2.36 Mid-Glamorgan 2.26 Essex 2.21 Birmingham 2.21 Bedfordshire 1.96 Hammersmith and Fulham 1.95 Barnet 1.94 Croydon 1.93 St Helens 1.92 Staffordshire 1.89 Sandwell 1.87 Surrey 1.85 Hillingdon 1.84 Havering 1.80 Buckinghamshire 1.70 Oldham 1.70 Solihull 1.67 Bolton 1.67 Doncaster 1.62 Rochdale 1.61 Derbyshire 1.55 Merton 1.54 Enfield 1.51 Dudley 1.44 East Sussex 1.37 Dyfed 1.32 West Sussex 1.17 Tameside 1.10 Newcastle upon Tyne 1.05 Stockport 1.01 Manchester 1.00 Coventry 0.99 Harrow 0.85 Wolverhampton 0.76 Wigan 0.66 Hounslow 0.64 Warwickshire 0.63 Sheffield 0.57 Salford 0.42
Local authority 1991–92 (£) Gwynedd 0.26 Haringey5 0.00 Wandsworth6 n/a Notes:
1 Full value awards are those paid at between 50 per cent. and 100 per cent. of the mandatory rate.
2 1992 mid-year population estimates of age 16+ based on 1991 census.
3 Expenditure on sandwich students not available.
4 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly combined because separate population data are not available—Isles of Scilly made no full value awards in 1991–92.
5 Haringey made no full value awards in 1991–92.
6 LEA unable to supply appropriate information.
No information is available in respect of awards made by the London residuary body.
§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the expenditure on supplementary allowances to students in receipt of a mandatory award in respect of their dependants; and if he will give a breakdown of such allowances by age group of students and gender of students.
§ Mr. BoswellIn the 1991–92 academic year, the latest year for which data are available on mandatory awards made by local education authorities, the gross value of the supplementary allowances made in respect of students' dependants was £29.2 million. Supplementary allowances are not payable separately: they form part of the student's total maintenance requirement which may be reduced according to the other resources available to him before his net grant is calculated. Information on the age group and gender of students eligible for dependants' allowances is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what help is available to assist with the cost of school meals and transport for mature students in receipt of a mandatory award who have children of school age.
§ Mr. BoswellSince the implementation of the Social Security Act 1986 in 1988, only children whose parents are in receipt of income support and those children who are themselves eligible for income support, are entitled to receive free school meals. Although most full-time students are not entitled to social security benefits, including income support, certain students in vulnerable groups, including lone parents and disabled students, may be able to claim benefits. Students' partners are able to claim benefits in their own right.
Local education authorities must provide free transport if they consider it necessary to facilitate a pupil's school attendance, and may help other pupils with their fares. Authorities are not required to make special arrangements for children whose parents are in receipt of a mandatory award.