School Laboratories (Hansard, 20 January 2003)

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information the appraisal of asset management plans generated on the condition of accommodation and equipment in secondary school science laboratories. [90955]
161W

§ Mr. Miliband
The condition data that have been collected from local education authorities in connection with their asset management plans do not separately identify the condition of science laboratories or the equipment they contain. To have asked for spaces to be separately identified would have placed an undue burden on authorities.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to ask OFSTED to monitor spending on schools' laboratories and equipment supplies in more detail than at present. [90956]

§ Mr. Miliband
OFSTED as part of its general remit assesses the suitability of school buildings for delivery of the National Curriculum, including the sciences. There are at present no plans to ask OFSTED separately to monitor the spending on schools' laboratories and equipment supplies. Generally, we do not monitor details of capital investment at LEA level because of the bureaucratic burden that this would impose. An evaluation report of £60 million capital funding that was allocated to LEAs for the School Laboratories for 21^st Century scheme in 2000–01 and 2001–02, covering a sample of 149 participating LEAs will be prepared over the next 12 months.

§ Dr. Iddon
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provisions will be made for schools with unsatisfactory or worse science accommodation that did not benefit from the funding made available through the School Laboratories for the 21^st Century scheme. [90957]

§ Mr. Miliband
The central Government funding available for investment in school buildings will rise from £3 billion this year, to £3.8 billion for 2003–04, and will rise further to over £5 billion by 2005–06. The bulk of this funding is allocated by formula to schools and to local education authorities (LEAs) to support investment in their priority needs. LEAs have Asset Management Plans (AMPs) to prioritise these needs locally in a rigorous, open and consultative process, based on a full survey of the building needs of all their schools, including for science teaching and learning, and reflecting government priorities such as our aim to improve the provision of laboratories. Schools now receive substantial direct capital funding, to give them a direct stake in investment in their buildings, including in laboratories. A secondary school of 1,000 pupils will in 2003–04 receive about £75,000 of direct capital, and this funding can be rolled over for up to three years to allow major projects to be addressed.