§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funding has been made available to the London borough of Wandsworth in each year since 1997 for improving school buildings. [152680]
§ Jacqui SmithThe following table shows the total central Government support for capital investment made in Wandsworth local education authority from 1996–98 to 2000–01. This includes £4.651 million investment through the New Deal for Schools programme.
In January this year, we announced that the New Deal for Schools would be extended over the next three years to 2003–04. Allocations benefiting schools in Wandsworth local education authority announced in January under the New Deal for Schools total £2.827 million over three years. This amount will be increased by the extra funding announced in the Chancellor's Budget Statement on 7 March, and later this year when allocations to local authorities of the new £555 million New Deal for Schools Modernisation programme are announced.
It will be for Wandsworth and its schools, working within guidelines provided by the Department, to allocate this new funding to individual projects.
Nationally, capital investment in school buildings has tripled from £683 million a year in 1996–97 to over £2 billion in 2000–01. It will be £3.5 billion in 2003–04, including grant, credit approvals and Private Finance Initiative credits. There will be central Government investment of £8.5 billion in school buildings in total from 2001–02 to 2003–04.
Central Government support for capital investment in Wandsworth local education authority 1997–98 to 2000–01 £000 Year Wandsworth 1997–98 861 1998–99 1,897 1999–2000 3,476 2000–01 6,980 Total 13,214