HC Deb 03 May 2001 vol 367 cc724-5W
Mr. Coleman

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much was received by local education authorities as(a) special and (b) specific grants in each financial year since 1997–98; and if he will make a statement on the distribution by LEAs. [159578]

Ms Estelle Morris

Listed are the Department's funding allocations for special and specific grants to local education authorities for each year since 1997–98.

Individual special and specific grants are distributed to local education authorities according to objective criteria, tailored to target geographical areas, or groups of schools, pupils, teachers or others, depending on the particular objectives of the grants and the relative need to spend to achieve those objectives.

Between 1992–93 and 1997–98, average recurrent funding per pupil fell by £120 in real terms from £2,830 to £2,710. Since then, it has risen by an average of £540 in real terms, to £3,250 this year. By 2003–04, it will have increased by around £750 in real terms since 1997–98.

Funding to English LEAs
£ million
1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01
Specific Grants
Standards Fund/GEST 195.8 241.2 661.9 1,142.2
Nursery Education Grant 518.8 130.2 120.7 233.2
Revenue funding for the reduction of class size — 22.3 79.6 141.5
Education Action Zones — 9.6 24.0 61.5
Capital 76.1 303.0 417.4 1,143.9
Special Grants
School Standards Grant — — — 293.4
Teachers Green Paper Grants — — — 245.3
School Budget Support Grant — — — 50.0

Notes:

  1. 1. Standards Fund/GEST figures are DfEE contribution only, and exclude Capital.
  2. 2. In April 1999 the Ethnical Minority Achievement Grant became part of the Standards Fund, before this it was a Home Office funded section 11 grant.
  3. In 1997–98 approximately £500 million were taken from the Nursery sub-block of the SSA to fund the Nursery Voucher scheme. This has been treated as Grant rather than SSA funding. Funding for Nursery Vouchers was returned to local government from 1998–99.
  4. 4. Education Action Zone funding is paid to the Zone not directly to the LEA.
  5. 5. Figures for 2000–01 are not yet finalised and may be subject to change.