§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many additional full-time qualified teachers have been identified by local education authorities in their plans for reducing infant class sizes submitted to his Department as being required to implement(a) the required reduction in infant class sizes in the school years 1999–2000 and 2000–01 and (b) measures required under paragraph 10 of the Schedule to the Education (Plans for Reducing Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 1998. [75489]
§ Ms Estelle Morris[holding answer 8 March 1999]: We have allocated £71,882,000 to fund 4,308 additional teachers to reduce infant class sizes in 1999–2000 (including 1,527 teachers funded from September 1998). For the following two financial years, we will be monitoring local authorities' progress in implementing their plans before making allocations to fund the teachers required. As a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review we have made available £160 million for the revenue costs in each of those years of achieving 105W the pledge. Local education authorities confirmed in their plans the arrangements they have put in place to ensure that no child will have to attend a school more than a reasonable distance from home.