Education Action Zones (Hansard, 27 January 1999)

§ Mr. Willis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those education action zones which have no school currently or previously in special measures. [67293]

§ Ms Estelle Morris
As of 20 January 1999, seven Education Action Zones have no school currently or previously in special measures. These are:

Birmingham (Aston Nechells)

Hereford

Middlesbrough

New Addington

Newcastle

North Somerset

Leigh (Wigan).

§ Mr. Willis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each education action zone the resources provided from other Government initiatives. [67290]

§ Ms Estelle Morris
This information is not yet available. It will be provided in the audited financial statements which each zone is required to provide by the end of the year.

§ Mr. Willis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the total amount spent by his Department on central administration of education action zones; and what is this amount as a proportion of the total departmental expenditure on education action zones. [67292]

§ Ms Estelle Morris
The running cost of the central administration team is budgeted at £500,000 for the financial year 1998–99. This represents 4 per cent. of the total Departmental programme budget over the same period for EAZs.

§ Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which of the first round of 25 education action zones have applied to vary any of the details of their original bids; and if he will set out the details of such variations. [67469]
294W

§ Ms Estelle Morris
None so far. The detailed action plans of each EAZ must be submitted to the Secretary of State by 31 March 1999.

§ Mr. Willis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what each education action zone is proposing to spend as a proportion of its total budget on(a) administration, (b) project co-ordination and management not included in (a) and (c) salaries not included in (a) or (b). [67291]

§ Ms Estelle Morris
This information is not currently available. It will be included in the audited financial statement which each zone must produce by the end of the year.

§ Mr. Willis
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each education action zone the amount of private sector contribution that has been given in(a) cash and (b) kind in each case, broken down (b) by type of help provided. [67294]

§ Ms Estelle Morris
Each of the first 25 Education Action Zones must raise £250,000 from the private sector in the first year, whether in cash or kind. They are well on the way to achieving this. I will publish a complete set of information as soon as it is available.