§ Mr. SwinneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in total and by project of over £50,000 the money made available to each local authority for school upgrade and refurbishment projects in real terms in financial years 1992–93 to 1997–98, indicating the allocations already made in the current financial year, and those earmarked for 1999–2000, in total and by project of over £50,000 for school upgrades and refurbishments; what is the total budget available for school upgrades and refurbishments in the next three financial years; and what percentage of this will be under the control of the Scottish Parliament. [65938]
§ Mrs. Liddell[holding answer 18 January 1999]: Such work is funded by the local authorities from the general resources available to them for capital expenditure across a range of services, including educational building. Capital allocations to the authorities, which are, in effect, general borrowing consents, are neither project nor programme specific. However, provision under the Comprehensive Spending Review allows for an increase of £185 million in local authority capital expenditure on school buildings over the three years from April 1999.
As part of the New Deal for Schools announced in the July 1997 Budget, £115.7 million is being made available to authorities over five years, in addition to the general resources available under the normal capital allocation arrangements, to tackle the backlog of repairs to school buildings and to improve facilities for ICT. These resources are being distributed to authorities on a formula basis through capital grant. The amounts payable to authorities in the 1997–98 and 1998–99 financial years are listed in the table. Project information is not available centrally in the form requested. Authorities have been advised that the distribution under this grant arrangement in 1999–2000 is expected to be broadly the same as in the current year.
An announcement about the distribution of the general resources available to local authorities for capital expenditure in future years is expected late next month. Capital allocations to local authorities will come under the control of the Scottish Parliament.
139W
Budget 1997—New Deal for Schools capital distribution £000 1997–98 Capital 1998–99 Capital Total for distribution 8,900,000 26,700,000 Aberdeen City 282 847 Aberdeenshire 385 1,155 Angus 196 587 Argyll & Bute 202 607 Borders 188 563 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 91 273 City of Edinburgh 556 1,667 City of Glasgow 1,003 3,008 Clackmannanshire 80 240 Dunfries & Galloway 253 759 Dundee City 244 732 East Ayrshire 216 649 East Dunbartonshire 222 667
Budget 1997—New Deal for Schools capital distribution £000 1997–98 Capital 1998–99 Capital East Lothian 137 412 East Renfrewshire 169 506 Falkirk 226 679 Fife 593 1,778 Highland 447 1,341 Inverclyde 179 537 Midlothian 150 450 Moray 165 495 North Ayrshire 263 788 North Lanarkshire 640 1,919 Perth & Kinross 207 621 Renfrewshire 310 931 South Ayrshire 200 601 South Lanarkshire 553 1,658 Stirling 156 467 West Dunbartonshire 186 557 West Lothian 273 820 Shetland 71 213 Orkney Islands 57 172 Total 8,900 26,700