§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what analysis he has made of the reasons for the real terms fall in education expenditure in 1998–99, as compared with 1997–98, shown in his Department's Statistical Bulletin 10/99. [98641]
§ Mr. WicksThe Budget for 1998–99 would have provided an increase of just £182 million for schools—a 1.5 per cent. cut in real terms. As a result of early action by this Administration, that increase was raised to over £1 billion—an increase of 5.6 per cent., or 3 per cent. in real terms. In doing so we averted the potential loss of an estimated 15,000 teachers between 1997–98 and 1998–99 and saw teacher numbers rise by 4,000. This meant that instead of the pupil:teacher ratio worsening from 18.9 to an estimated 19.5, it improved to 18.8.
In addition, we introduced the New Deal for Schools, providing an extra £1.1 billion for repair of school buildings. Between 1998–99 and 2001–02 we are doubling capital spending in schools.
The Comprehensive Spending Review, announced in July 1998, meant an extra £16 billion for education in England over the three years from 1999–2000. By the end of the Parliament, we will be spending 17 per cent. more in real terms on education than in 1997–98. In the first two budgets of this Government, spending per pupil has increased in real terms by £80 and by 2001–02 it will have increased by £220. The 1997–98 budget was decided and allocated before May 1997 and is the responsibility of the previous administration.