HC Deb 03 November 1995 vol 265 cc526-7W
Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the level of area cost adjustment expressed as a percentage add on to the primary and secondary standard spending assessments that receive area cost adjustment, the value of the London weighting as a percentage of average teacher and pay, and the amounts of any other qualifiable costs taken into account in determining the area cost adjustment in each authority that receives area cost adjustment. [38171]

Mr. Robin Squire

[holding answer 20 October 1995]: The information requested on the level of the area cost adjustment is set out in the "Local Government Finance Report (England) 1995–96", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Some care must be taken in drawing conclusions about the area cost adjustment using information on teachers' salaries and London weightings.

All the employment groups relevant to the local authority labour market for education have to be taken into account—not just teachers—since the area cost adjustment has to take off non-teaching costs, which account for about a third of education labour costs.