§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will publish a breakdown of(a) the £830 million available for education in 1997–98, according to the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) the £875 million quoted in the departmental press release and (c) the £633 million available for local education authorities, showing how the above figures are intended to be spent. [7470]
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe £875 million is the increase in provision for schools, colleges and universities between 1996–97, after adjusting for in-year changes, and 1997–98. Of this, £830 million relates to schools. The £633 million is the increase in local authority education standard spending-total education standard spending assessments plus recurrent specific grants to local authorities related to education-as announced by 9W my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment in his statement to the House on the local authority financial settlement on 27 November 1996.
The breakdown of the £875 million increase is shown in the table:
Increase in: £ million Education standard spending assessments1 591 New money for the nursery voucher scheme 129 Assisted places scheme 22 GEST 22 GM recurrent 15 OFSTED 13 Schools capital2 9 Specialist schools3 7 Other smaller items4 22 Sub total—schools 830 Further and higher education institutions 45 Total 875 1 After adjustments for changes in function and funding, in particular the national introduction of the nursery voucher scheme 2 After allowing for contribution to LA challenge 3 Includes an increase in capital provision of £3 million 4 Including additional resources for ethnic minorities (section 11 grant), teacher training, changes to key stage 2/3 tests, the music and ballet scheme and literacy and numeracy centres.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when, by what mechanism and to which local authorities the £50 million in capital allowances announced in the Budget statement will be distributed. [7471]
§ Mrs. GillanI expect to make an announcement about the distribution of credit approvals to local education authorities and of grant to governors of voluntary-aided schools for 1997–98, including amounts over and above the previously announced baselines, later this month. A copy of the Department's letter setting out the basis on which these distributions will be made has been placed in the Library. Further support is also available through the specialist schools programme. The distribution of grant to the governors of grant-maintained schools is a matter for the Funding Agency for Schools.