§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will list for(a) England and (b) each local education authority, the (i) number and (ii) value of fun ding bids made to his Department under the New Deal for Schools programme in each financial year since 1999–2000 for the repair of school buildings; [104598]
(2) if he will list the total value of grants made by each local education authority in England to schools, through the New Deal for Schools, for the repair of school buildings for the latest date for which figures are available. [104596]
545W
§ Mr. Miliband[holding answer 24 March 2003]: Information available on the number of bids, their value, and the allocations made to the original bid-based New Deal for Schools (NDS 1–4) programme to 2000–01 is shown in a table which has been placed in the Library, together with formulaic allocations from 2000–01. The Department currently allocates most capital funding to schools and local education authorities (LEAs) by needs-related formulae, and it is for LEAs to assess and prioritise the capital needs of their school buildings through their asset management planning process, in consultation with local schools.
I am also announcing today further allocations of capital funding for schools from the totals that are available over the next three years.
There will be 15 private finance initiative (PFI) projects with a total allocation of £830 million PFI credits, in response to the invitation we made in 2002 to all LEAs to apply for this funding. I am also establishing four LEA pathfinders, to be funded through PFI credits, to help develop the Building Schools for the Future programme. In total, this represents around £1 billion of support to schools PFI projects.
There will be Targeted Capital funding to 78 LEA projects totalling £199 million at 71 LEAs, and £146 million of support for 56 projects in voluntary aided schools at 41 LEAs, which should start in 2003–04. These projects support our educational priorities, including promoting inclusion, advancing the 14–19 agenda, and standards-led investment at schools causing concern.
We are also allocating a new formulaic Modernisation programme of just over £1 billion in 2004–05 and £717 million in 2005–06. The new Programme brings together the existing Condition and Modernisation programmes and will include £300 million of funding in each year targeted at building needs in primary schools to encourage up to 25 per cent. more investment in that sector.