§ Mr. SalterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what his plans are for the expansion of the specialist schools programme. [158537]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe number of specialist schools has increased threefold since May 1997, from 181 to 536, with a further 73 designated to start operating from September 2001. Our target of 1,500 specialist schools by 2006 proposed in the Green Paper "Schools: Building on Success" is an increase of 1,000 on our original target of 500. As a result of the 2000 Spending Review, the Government will be providing an additional £33 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund over the next three years to make it possible to expand the specialist schools programme at a faster rate to reach 1,000 specialist schools by 2003. This will enable us to introduce all three of the new specialisms (Science, Engineering, and Business and Enterprise) in September next year.