§ David BurnsideTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the amount of planned maintenance work suspended in each education area in Northern Ireland. [166716]
§ Mr. GardinerResponsibility for maintenance work in controlled and maintained schools and other Board property rests with Education and Library Boards, while for voluntary grammar and grant-maintained824W integrated schools the responsibility rests with individual school authorities. Each Education and Library Board has been asked to submit a resource allocation plan for 2004–05 showing how they will allocate their total budgets and indicating the outputs that will be delivered with those budgets. The plans will include the amounts that the Boards propose to spend on maintenance this year. Before giving approval, the Department of Education will be considering the plans to make sure that the y provide a clear picture of how the resources allocated to the Boards will be used and that they reflect the Government's commitment to raise educational standards in Northern Ireland.