§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding will be made available for bilingual learners' support in Hampshire after April 1997. [7087]
§ Mr. KirkhopeThe main source of specific funding for additional education support for members of ethnic minorities is grants paid by the Home Office under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966. Hampshire's grant allocation figure for 1996–97 is £527,554. I announced on 13 November,Official Report, column 242, that section 11 funding will continue at its present overall level until August 1998. We are currently in touch with Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton councils about detailed arrangements in the light of local government reorganisation from April 1997. In addition, the 265W Department for Education and Employment currently has under consideration bids for its 1997–98 grants for education support and training programme which includes grants for in-service training to equip mainstream teachers and classroom assistants with skills needed to promote ethnic minority pupils' attainment of English. The outcome will be announced before Christmas.