§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much Northumberland Education Authority will receive from the £50 million funding he has announced for the post-16 curriculum; and if he will provide guidance on the amount which should be made available to each high school or college teaching the relevant age group. [109985]
§ Mr. WicksEducation Standard Spending for 2000-01 takes into account the estimated recurrent costs—£35 million—of successfully implementing the forthcoming reforms to post-16 qualifications in LEA maintained schools in that year. There is no meaningful way in which the Department can put a precise figure on how much additional funding for implementing the reforms is included in the Northumberland Education Standard Spending Assessment. Nor would it be appropriate for the Department to offer guidance on the resources which should be made available to individual schools in order to implement the reforms. These decisions are, "right"ly, made locally, in the light of local needs and circumstances.