§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local education authorities have failed to passport 100 per cent. of resources to schools in the present financial year. [121700]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeI recognise that this is a difficult year for some schools because of the changes to the school funding arrangements. But part of the difficulty has been where LEAs have decided not to passport the full increase in their school funding to their schools budget. My Department has been in discussion with a number of the 19 authorities who were shown as not passporting in the analysis of local education authorities' budget returns I published on 2 May. Our latest figures show that 11 LEAs are not passporting.
950WWe do not yet know to what extent balances will be used by schools in 2003–04 because in many cases local education authorities are still considering schools' budget plans.
§ David TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills What representations he has received from schools about the adequacy of financial resources for 2003–04 to deliver the Government's standards targets. [121703]
§ Mr. MilibandWe have received a large amount of correspondence concerning education budgets for the current financial year from both schools and local education authorities, as we do each year.