HC Deb 07 May 1998 vol 311 cc508-10W
Mr. Peter Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funding allocations for education, in addition to the revenue support grant, his Department has made since 1 May 1997 to(a) Shropshire County Council and (b) Telford and Wrekin Council. [40551]

Mr. Byers

The table shows the increase in non RSG funding for Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin County Councils that the Department has made since 1 May 1997.

Non-RSG funding for Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin—from 1 May 1997
£000
Shropshire Telford and Wrekin
Capital Allocations
New Deal for Schools Round 1: 1997–98 185 1n/a
Supplementary Credit Approvals: 1997–98 500 1n/a
New Deal for Schools Round 2: 1998–99 1,184 674
Annual Capital Guideline: 1998–99 2,013 474
Supplementary Credit Approvals: 1998–99 2,151 166
Voluntary Aided Grant: 1998–99 120 246
Standards Fund
Books for schools: 1997–98 233 1n/a
Publication of primary school performance tables: 1997–98 6 1n/a
Standards fund programme: 1998–99 2,394 1,997
Total 8,786 3,557
Grant under Section 488 of the Education Act 1996
For the education of children of Travellers and displaced persons: 1997–98 2804 2—
For the education of children of Travellers and displaced persons: 1998–99 2829 2—
1 Wrekin is a new LEA and therefore only eligible for funding from the beginning of 1998–99 financial year
2 There are no separate figures available for these grants for Shropshire or Wrekin, as they are part of a consortium arrangement with eleven other authorities to deliver services under the Grant in the West Midlands region. Wrekin are included but do not have separate grants

Notes:

Figures for the 2nd round of New Deal for Schools allocations are totals to be phased over the next three years

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the changes made to the Further Education Funding Council's funding methodology for 1998–99 and their intended impact on participation rates. [40780]

Dr. Howells

The FEFC has introduced for the 1998/99 academic year a widening participation factor employing the DETR index of relative deprivation. In addition, all colleges below the convergence objective of £16.20 per funding unit will be lifted to that level in 1998/99 (except in respect of any franchised provision where the value of the unit would remain at the 1997/98 level); all colleges above the convergence level are expected to be brought to that level over the next three years. On dedicated provision delivered for an employer, the units claimable are reduced by one third. There will be an increase in the London weighting factor.

On the basis of the additional funds which the government have announced, the number of FEFC-funded FIE students are expected to be some 20,000 higher in the 1998/99 academic year than in 1997/98.