§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) for what reasons his press notice LPN 41/99 is not available on the departmental internet; [75285]
(2) for what reason departmental press officers telephoned media outlets in Cumbria asking them not to use the press release of 24 February which they had just issued; [75286]
(3) what representations he has received from Cumbria county council since the issue of his press release on 24 February; [75287]
(4) what powers he has to compel Cumbria county council to spend on education the moneys he has allocated to it; [75288]
(5) what steps he will take (a) to monitor and (b) to enforce compliance with his request to Cumbria county council to spend their full standard spending assessment on education. [75289]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe central Government grant that supports Standard Spending provision is unhypothecated. Nevertheless, we have examined local authority budget proposals in the public domain, for evidence that they have reflected the increased funding in their education budgets. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Leader of Cumbria county council in February to urge them to consider their plans and use all of the increase to support education, and a press notice was drafted to that effect. I am pleased to say that, since then, we have been informed by the county council that they do intend to reflect their full education SSA increase of £9.4 million (5.0 per cent.) in their 1999–2000 education budget.