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Column 277
Written Answers to Questions
Friday 14 January 1994
EDUCATION
Pupil Costs
Mr. Purchase : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the average cost of each place at maintained secondary schools since 1988- 89 in each English local education authority.
Mr. Robin Squire : Spending per pupil by each English LEA in secondary schools in 1988-89 to 1991-92, the latest year for which figures are available, was as shown in the table.
Net institutional expenditure per secondary pupil 1988-89 to
1991-92
|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
|£ |£ |£ |£
-------------------------------------------------------------
ILEA |2,505 |2,725 |- |-
Camden |- |- |2,290 |2,430
Greenwich |- |- |2,385 |2,295
Hackney |- |- |2,705 |2,800
Hammersmith |- |- |2,665 |2,740
Islington |- |- |2,440 |2,940
Kensington |- |- |2,905 |3,200
Lambeth |- |- |2,585 |2,980
Lewisham |- |- |2,430 |2,375
Southwark |- |- |2,350 |2,460
Tower Hamlets |- |- |2,490 |2,945
Wandsworth |- |- |2,520 |3,275
Westminster |- |- |2,580 |2,445
Barking |1,970 |2,200 |2,305 |2,255
Barnet |1,820 |1,925 |2,110 |2,325
Bexley |1,685 |1,820 |1,965 |2,060
Brent |2,305 |2,225 |2,360 |2,490
Bromley |1,770 |1,955 |2,220 |2,440
Croydon |2,040 |1,935 |2,080 |2,375
Ealing |2,145 |2,345 |2,575 |2,835
Enfield |1,715 |1,815 |2,080 |2,320
Haringey |n/a |2,850 |2,590 |2,650
Harrow |1,740 |1,975 |2,325 |2,375
Havering |1,860 |1,990 |2,135 |2,255
Hillingdon |1,870 |2,010 |2,340 |2,625
Hounslow |1,895 |1,995 |2,075 |2,160
Kingston-upon-Thames |1,900 |2,120 |2,240 |2,475
Merton |1,660 |1,925 |1,990 |2,620
Newham |2,140 |2,310 |2,410 |2,470
Redbridge |1,735 |1,855 |2,120 |2,310
Richmond-upon-Thames |1,640 |1,790 |1,985 |2,115
Sutton |1,630 |1,750 |2,075 |2,160
Waltham Forest |2,435 |2,490 |2,650 |2,620
Birmingham |1,640 |1,800 |2,050 |2,150
Coventry |1,940 |2,180 |2,340 |2,115
Dudley |1,840 |1,915 |2,095 |2,125
Sandwell |1,885 |2,115 |2,295 |2,275
Solihull |1,650 |1,835 |2,085 |2,125
Walsall |1,885 |1,995 |2,255 |2,110
Wolverhampton |1,745 |1,975 |2,120 |2,355
Knowsley |1,990 |2,105 |2,225 |2,295
Liverpool |1,905 |2,060 |2,250 |2,355
St. Helens |1,710 |1,970 |1,960 |2,105
Sefton |1,600 |1,715 |2,030 |2,015
Wirral |1,755 |1,975 |2,110 |2,115
Bolton |1,635 |1,795 |1,990 |2,130
Bury |1,730 |1,860 |1,810 |1,900
Manchester |n/a |2,190 |2,145 |2,285
Oldham |1,590 |1,765 |1,940 |2,260
Rochdale |1,700 |2,050 |2,135 |2,135
Salford |1,860 |2,140 |2,185 |2,190
Stockport |1,730 |1,860 |2,030 |2,135
Tameside |1,660 |1,770 |1,945 |2,100
Trafford |1,710 |1,920 |2,075 |2,105
Wigan |1,845 |2,000 |2,095 |2,290
Barnsley |1,645 |1,795 |1,820 |2,045
Doncaster |1,655 |1,805 |1,860 |1,995
Rotherham |1,635 |1,810 |1,960 |2,150
Sheffield |1,810 |1,920 |2,155 |2,180
Bradford |1,605 |1,635 |1,775 |1,795
Calderdale |1,665 |1,665 |2,095 |2,010
Kirklees |1,620 |1,765 |1,920 |2,055
Leeds |1,545 |1,715 |1,920 |1,980
Wakefield |N/A |1,800 |1,940 |2,115
Gateshead |1,770 |1,865 |2,080 |2,115
Newcastle Upon Tyne |1,870 |1,980 |1,990 |2,065
North Tyneside |1,780 |1,885 |1,940 |2,075
South Tyneside |1,825 |2,010 |2,135 |2,040
Sunderland |1,665 |1,845 |1,935 |2,045
Isles of Scilly |N/A |3,805 |4,385 |4,160
Avon |1,630 |1,800 |1,945 |2,050
Bedfordshire |1,635 |1,815 |1,875 |2,035
Berkshire |1,570 |1,735 |1,950 |2,155
Buckinghamshire |1,715 |1,850 |2,050 |2,095
Cambridgeshire |1,480 |1,640 |1,880 |2,025
Cheshire |1,545 |1,715 |1,955 |2,105
Cleveland |1,770 |1,915 |2,085 |2,110
Cornwall |1,525 |1,690 |1,885 |1,955
Cumbria |1,685 |1,845 |2,030 |2,175
Derbyshire |1,755 |1,975 |2,110 |2,200
Devon |1,535 |1,705 |1,950 |2,005
Dorset |1,485 |1,635 |1,805 |1,920
Durham |1,575 |1,735 |1,900 |2,020
East Sussex |1,565 |1,765 |1,985 |2,020
Essex |1,635 |1,800 |1,955 |2,275
Gloucestershire |1,545 |1,735 |1,910 |1,755
Hampshire |1,580 |1,790 |1,965 |2,130
Hereford and
Worcester |1,440 |1,635 |1,840 |1,960
Hertfordshire |1,745 |1,900 |2,065 |2,235
Humberside |1,690 |1,760 |1,910 |2,065
Isle of Wight |1,495 |1,575 |1,755 |1,935
Kent |1,475 |1,565 |1,805 |2,075
Lancashire |1,620 |1,810 |1,950 |2,225
Leicestershire |1,770 |1,900 |2,095 |2,255
Lincolnshire |1,475 |1,630 |1,905 |2,080
Norfolk |1,585 |1,810 |1,990 |2,115
North Yorkshire |1,595 |1,760 |2,025 |2,150
Northamptonshire |1,545 |1,685 |1,795 |1,970
Northumberland |1,630 |1,645 |1,805 |1,965
Nottinghamshire |1,745 |1,955 |2,220 |2,490
Oxfordshire |1,665 |1,810 |2,155 |2,110
Shropshire |1,695 |1,855 |2,105 |2,350
Somerset |1,570 |1,745 |1,855 |1,950
Staffordshire |1,610 |1,790 |1,925 |2,045
Suffolk |1,485 |1,820 |2,025 |1,700
Surrey |1,635 |1,675 |2,105 |2,200
Warwickshire |1,635 |1,770 |1,895 |2,090
West Sussex |1,530 |1,745 |1,910 |2,085
Wiltshire |1,555 |1,700 |1,890 |1,945
Notes to the table
1. Figures are in outturn prices and are derived from local
education
authorities' returns of their net institutional expenditure
to the Department
of the Environment and of their pupil numbers to the
Department for
Education.
2. Net institutional expenditure covers the direct costs in
schools of
salaries and wages, premises and certain supplies and
services. It does not
include the costs of school meals, home to school transport,
LEA central
administration and financing costs of capital expenditure.
Figures for
1990-91 and 1991-92 include unspent balances held by schools
at the year
end under local management of schools schemes.
3. "N/A" indicates that a return has not been received from
the LEA.
Corporation of London LEA has no secondary schools. Figures
are
rounded to the nearest £5.
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Teachers' Pay
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers in state-maintained schools receive a gross salary of £30,000 per year.
Mr. Robin Squire : On the basis of departmental projections of teacher numbers and data from the recent pay survey conducted by the School Teachers Review Body we estimate that in England and Wales approximately 9,700 full-time teachers in the maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special sectors, including 5,900 heads and 3, 100 deputies, were being paid salaries of £30,000 per annum or more on 1 September 1993.
Pupil Transfers
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that pupils who transfer from grant- maintained schools to local authority-maintained schools take a proportion of funds with them.
Mr. Robin Squire : The predominantly pupil-led funding arrangements for both grant-maintained and local authority maintained schools allow movements of pupils between the two sectors, in either direction, to be reflected in school budgets on an annual basis.
Nursery Education
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assumption he makes within the standard spending assessment for appropriate expenditure on education for each local education authority for their expenditure on optional nursery education ; and to what extent this varies between authorities.
Mr. Robin Squire : The local government finance settlement takes account of the broad range of pressures on local authorities, including the projected number of pupils aged under five in maintained schools, as published in the Department's annual report. The component of standard spending assessments which is notionally attributed to under-fives is allocated according to the population aged under five in each local authority area. This is adjusted by the additional educational need allowance which reflects the additional costs of providing a standard level of service in areas of relative deprivation, and by the area cost adjustment which reflects higher labour costs in the south-east.
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimates he has made of the additional costs for training those qualified nursery teachers to the standards now in force for each additional 100 nursery school pupils receiving half-time nursery education.
Mr. Robin Squire : On the basis of current recommended staffing ratios and assuming that two half-time classes could be accommodated within a normal school week and with the same staff, 100 half-time nursery school pupils would require 2.5 full-time equivalent teachers. The average cost of initial training of a qualified early years teacher is approximately £6,350 per year, inclusive of student maintenance payments. The majority of early years teachers are at present trained on four-year BEd courses. These figures take no account of any requirement for nursery assistants in addition to teachers.
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Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what formal statements he expects to make concerning the policies of Her Majesty's Government for nursery education which have been indicated informally ; and when, and by what means, he plans to make them ; (2) what consultations he has had, or expects to make, prior to further announcements or distribution of circulars or advice concerning his plans for expanding nursery education.
Mr. Robin Squire : As my right hon. Friend indicated in his speech to the North of England conference on 7 January, the Government's policy is to promote choice, diversity, quality and
cost-effectiveness in the provision of pre-school education, and to extend the amount of such education available. Over half of three and four-year- olds already attend maintained nursery and primary schools, and more than 90 per cent. receive some form of pre-school provision. We are exploring ways of adding still further, as resources allow, to the choice already available to parents from all sources--public, private and voluntary. When we have any proposals to make, we will announce them in the usual way. There will then be an opportunity for those concerned to express their views.
Teacher Training
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what have been the costs incurred in training teachers in relation to assessing those areas which have now been dropped as a result of the Dearing review.
Mr. Robin Squire : It is impossible to isolate and cost the elements of initial and in-service teacher training relating solely to those aspects of assessment that will change following the Dearing review. Such training generally has wider objectives that will remain relevant regardless of the changes that will be made.
Parents Charter
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total cost of production and distribution of the leaflet to be issued about the parents charter ; how much of this cost is attributable to distribution ; and how many of the leaflets will go to homes with children of school age.
Mr. Robin Squire : The cost of distributing the revised parents charter to every household in England is estimated at £500,000. The total cost of producing and distributing the charter is expected to be some £2 million. Raising standards in schools, and supporting what has already been achieved, are matters of national importance. The charter will therefore be relevant to all citizens, and not simply to the estimated 6.75 million households with children under the school leaving age.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many copies of his Department's grant-maintained schools folder, containing the fifth edition of "How to become a grant-maintained school", "Questions parents ask", "Questions staff ask", "Experiences during the first year", and a copy of circular 18/93, have been distributed ; and what was the cost of (i)
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the folders, (ii) each of the booklets, (iii) the circulars, (iv) the padded bags in which they were sent and (v) the distribution itself.Mr. Robin Squire : Some 22,500 copies of the Department's grant- maintained schools folder were distributed to chairmen of governors of maintained schools in England to ensure that they had publications reflecting the relevant provisions in the Education Act 1993 which came into effect from 1 January. Further copies are being distributed in response to requests. The unit costs for printing and design were as follows :
|Pence
--------------------------------------------------------
(i) folders |31
(ii) booklets:
How to Become a Grant-Maintained School |63
Questions Parents Ask |8
Questions Staff Ask |22
Experiences during the First year |9
(iii) circular 18/93 |23
For the initial distribution to all schools, the cost of packaging was £8,178, and the cost of postage was £20,106.
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of new grant-maintained schools received an allocation for expenditure on named capital projects in the financial years (i) 1993-94 and (ii) 1994-95.
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Mr. Robin Squire : Ninety-five per cent. of schools which entered the grant-maintained sector in 1992-93 and bid for capital grant on named projects received an allocation for the financial year 1993-94.
Seventy per cent. of schools which joined the sector between April and September last year and bid for funding have so far received allocations for 1994-95. The allocations are either to carry out a named project or for extra design work to place them in a priority position for support in 1995- 96. In addition, grant-maintained schools which have entered the sector since September 1993 have been invited to submit their named project bids for 1994-95 by 28 January.
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many cases the interval between his approval of grant-maintained status for a school and its incorporation date has been less than (a) five working days, (b) 10 working days, (c) 15 working days and (d) 20 working days ; and, in category, whether he will list the schools and give the relevant dates.
Mr. Robin Squire : The interval between the approval of grant- maintained status for a school and its incorporation date has been less than five working days in seven cases, less than 10 working days in 47 cases, less than 15 working days in 75 cases and less than 20 working days in 128 cases. The schools and relevant dates are listed by category in the table.
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Interval between approval of grant-maintained status and incorporation date 0-4 working days School |LEA |Approval |Incorporation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bishop Challoner RC School |Birmingham |28 September 1993|1 October 1993 Convent of Jesus and Mary GM HS |Brent |24 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Queens Park Community School (GM) |Brent |24 March 1993 |1 April 1994 Hayes Road Primary School |Devon |23 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. George's RC School |Hampshire |24 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Harlington Community School |Hillingdon |22 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Peter and St. Paul RC HS |Lincolnshire |26 August 1993 |1 September 1993
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Interval between approval of grant-maintained status and incorporation date 5-9 working days School |LEA |Approval |Incorporation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashmole School |Barnet |20 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Bishop Douglass RC Comprehensive |Barnet |20 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Joseph's RC Primary School |Berkshire |16 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Columba's RC Boys School |Bexley |18 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Oakington Manor Primary School |Brent |19 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Cardinal Hinsley High School |Brent |23 August 1993 |1 September 1993 The Radcliffe School |Buckinghamshire |18 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Holy Trinity CE Senior School (GM) |Calderdale |23 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Soham Village College |Cambridgeshire |18 August 1993 |1 September 1993 La Sainte Union Convent School |Camden |19 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Appleby County Primary School |Cumbria |21 September 1993|1 October 1993 Repton Primary School |Derbyshire |24 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Redhill County Primary School |Derbyshire |21 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Mary's High School |Derbyshire |21 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Dunmow County Infant School |Essex |21 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Dunmow CE VC Junior School |Essex |22 December 1993 |1 January 1994 The Coopers' Co. & Coborn (GM) |Havering |23 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Mount Grace School (GM) |Hertfordshire |24 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Chancellor's School |Hertfordshire |22 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Joan of Arc RC School |Hertfordshire |22 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Grange Park Junior School |Hillingdon |19 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Grange Park Infant School |Hillingdon |19 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Abbotsfield School |Hillingdon |19 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Swakeleys School |Hillingdon |19 March 1993 |1 April 1993 St. Andrew's CE Primary School |Hillingdon |17 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Howden CE Infant School |Humberside |16 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Cranbrook School |Kent |17 December 1991 |1 January 1992 Hayesbrook High School |Kent |16 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Northfleet School for Boys |Kent |21 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Tower Road County Primary School |Lincolnshire |21 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Great Yarmouth High School |Norfolk |18 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Sir Christopher Hatton School (GM) |Northamptonshire |16 December 1992 |1 January 1993 Wrenn School (GM) |Northamptonshire |16 December 1992 |1 January 1993 Cannock Chase High School (GM) |Staffordshire |18 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Park Hall County Infant School |Walsall |17 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Park Hall County Junior School |Walsall |17 December 1993 |1 January 1994 The Commonweal School |Wiltshire |22 October 1993 |1 November 1993 Studley Green Primary School |Wiltshire |20 December 1993 |1 January 1994 South Wilts Girls' Grammar School |Wiltshire |20 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Calday Grange Grammar, West Kirby |Wirral |22 March 1993 |1 April 1993
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Interval between approval of grant-maintained status and incorporation date 10-14 working days School |LEA |Approval |Incorporation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Osidge Primary School |Barnet |11 August 1993 |1 September 1993 St. James' Catholic High School |Barnet |11 November 1993 |1 December 1993 Reading School |Berkshire |13 March 1991 |1 April 1991 Priory School |Berkshire |14 September 1992 |1 October 1992 George Tomlinson School |Bolton |16 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Kingsbury High School |Brent |16 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Longsands Community College |Cambridgeshire |11 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Bowness-on-Solway Primary School |Cumbria |15 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. John Fisher RC Primary School |Essex | 9 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Giles CE Primary School |Hertfordshire |16 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Charville Primary School |Hillingdon |12 August 1993 |1 September 1993 St. Laurence CE Junior School |Hillingdon |13 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Gunnersbury Catholic Boys' School |Hounslow |11 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Senacre Technology School |Kent |11 December 1991 |1 January 1992 Holy Trinity CE Primary School |Kent |12 August 1992 |1 September 1992 Holy Cross Convent School |Kingston-on-Thames|11 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Archbishop Temple School |Lancashire |15 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Abbey Grange CE High School (GM) |Leeds |16 September 1993 |1 October 1993 The Giles School |Lincolnshire | 9 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Lancaster County Infant School |Lincolnshire | 9 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Our Lady of Fatima RC High School |Liverpool |10 September 1993 |1 October 1993 St. James CE Primary School |Rochdale |17 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Yattendon Middle School |Surrey |10 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Stanley Park Infants' School |Sutton |14 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Stanley Park Junior School |Sutton |14 December 1993 |1 January 1994 John Bentley School |Wiltshire |13 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Kingsdown School |Wiltshire |16 August 1993 |1 September 1993 St. Joseph's RC Comprehensive |Wiltshire |13 October 1993 |1 November 1993
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Interval between approval of grant-maintained status and incorporation date 15-19 working days School |LEA |Approval |Incorporation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Michael's Catholic GS |Barnet | 4 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Finchley Catholic High School |Barnet | 6 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Holy Family RC School |Berkshire | 8 December 1992 |1 January 1993 Whitelocke Infant and Nursery School |Berkshire |10 March 1993 |1 April 1993 St. Mary and St. Joseph's School (GM) |Bexley | 9 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Wibsey Middle School |Bradford | 5 August 1993 |1 September 1993 St. Gregory's RC High School |Brent | 9 August 1993 |1 September 1993 St. John Rigby School |Bromley | 2 December 1992 |1 January 1993 Stanground College (GM) |Cambridgeshire | 9 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Jews Free School |Camden | 6 August 1993 |1 September 1993 The Merrill Community School |Derbyshire | 8 December 1992 |1 January 1993 St. Walburga's RC Primary School |Dorset |10 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Enfield Grammar School |Enfield | 2 December 1993 |1 January 1994 The Colne School |Essex | 3 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Broomfield County Primary School |Essex | 3 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Hadleigh Nursery and Infants School |Essex | 6 December 1993 |1 January 1994 The Stanway School |Essex | 7 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Gregory the Great Catholic School |Gloucestershire | 7 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Blue Coat CE Primary School (GM) |Gloucestershire | 4 March 1993 |1 April 1993 St. Peter's RC Primary School |Hampshire | 3 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Dame Alice Owen's School |Hertfordshire | 5 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Bushey Meads School (GM) |Hertfordshire | 8 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Queen's School |Hertfordshire |10 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Bushey Hall School |Hertfordshire |10 March 1993 |1 April 1993 St. Michael's RC School |Hertfordshire | 9 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Gumley House Convent School |Hounslow | 8 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Mascalls School |Kent | 4 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Newington Junior School |Kent | 9 August 1993 |1 Septebmer 1993 Richard Challoner School |Kingston-on-Thames|10 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Archbishop Tenison's School |Lambeth | 9 March 1993 |1 April 1993 St. Andrew's RC Primary School |Lambeth | 6 December 1993 |1 January 1994 St. Mary's High School |Lancashire | 3 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Lady Elizabeth Hastings CE Primary School |Leeds | 3 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Uppingham Community College |Leicestershire | 8 March 1993 |1 April 1993 William Robertson School |Lincolnshire | 3 August 1993 |1 September 1993 St. Wulfram's CE High School (GM) |Lincolnshire | 3 August 1993 |1 September 1993 St. Hugh's CE VC Comprehensive |Lincolnshire | 8 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Marshland High School |Norfolk | 9 March 1992 |1 April 1992 St. George's CE VC Middle School |Norfolk | 6 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Woodnewton Way Junior School |Northamptonshire |10 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Woodnewton Way Infant School |Northamptonshire | 3 December 1993 |1 January 1994 Astley High School |Northumberland | 3 September 1993 |1 October 1993 Shenington CE Primary School |Oxfordshire |10 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Handsworth St. Joseph's RC School |Sheffield | 3 December 1993 |1 January 1994 The Manor County First School |Surrey | 9 March 1992 |1 April 1992 Hawkedale First School |Surrey | 9 March 1992 |1 April 1992 De Stafford School |Surrey |10 March 1992 |1 April 1992 Heathside Secondary School |Surrey |10 March 1992 |1 April 1992 Wallington High School for Boys |Sutton | 4 March 1993 |1 April 1993 Chingford School |Waltham Forest | 3 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Burntwood School |Wandsworth | 3 December 1991 |1 January 1992 St. John's School |Wiltshire | 3 August 1993 |1 September 1993 Brandon Forest School |Wiltshire | 8 October 1993 |1 November 1993
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will identify all the specific purpose grants given to each grant-maintained school in South Yorkshire for each financial year since 1991-92 ; and if he will give the purpose of each grant.
Mr. Robin Squire : The following self-governing schools in South Yorkshire have received special purpose grants, SPGs :
Amount paid (£)
for each
financial year
School |1992-93|1993-94
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Clifford C E First School, Sheffield
SPG (Transitional)<1> |21,834 |-
SPG (Development)<2> |2,915 |4,985
SPG (Restructuring)<3> |11,136 |-
SPG (VAT)<4> |1,044 |4,141
SPG (Premises)<5> |- |920
All Saints RC School, Sheffield
SPG (Transitional)<1> |- |59,640
SPG (Development)<2> |- |24,490
SPG (VAT)<4> |- |30,402
Notre Dame School, Sheffield
SPG (Transitional)<1> |- |51,610
SPG (Development)<2> |- |22,436
SPG (Restructuring)<3> |- |8,652
SPG (VAT)<4> |- |26,262
St. John Fisher RC (VA) Primary, Sheffield
SPG (Transitional)<1> |- |24,338
SPG (Development)<2> |- |4,863
SPG (VAT)<4> |- |4,298
Handsworth St. Josephs RC Primary, Sheffield
SPG (Transitional)<1> |- |17,599
SPG (Development)<2> |- |1,678
SPG (VAT)<4> |- |1,711
St. Annes RC Primary, Sheffield
SPG (Transitional)<1> |- |38,250
SPG (Development)<2> |- |1,497
SPG (VAT)<4> |- |1,703
Note: The purpose of each of the SPGs is as follows:
<1> Special Purpose Grant (Transitional)
Available to help with the costs incurred as a result of the
school's
acquisition of self-governing status.
<2> Special Purpose Grant (Development)
Available to fund management training, staff development and
implementation of the national curriculum.
<3> Special Purpose Grant (Restructuring)
Available to help with essential staff restructuring which involves
costs
arising from premature retirement, redundancy or voluntary severance
of teaching staff.
<4> Special Purpose Grant (VAT)
Compensates for the payment of VAT on supplies and services, which
self-governing schools may not claim back.
<5> Special Purpose Grant (Premises)
Assists self-governing schools with the additional cost of school
premises insurance.
National Curriculum
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the cost of the printing, publishing and distribution of Sir Ron Dearing's interim report ; and what are the estimated costs in respect of the final report.
Mr. Robin Squire : The printing and distribution costs of the interim report were £200,000. Comparable costs for the final report are estimated at £460,000.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education for each key stage and curriculum area, what are the pilot
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and development costs ; and if he will identify those items of expenditure incurred in respect of those aspects now withdrawn as a result of the Dearing review.Mr. Robin Squire : Most of these costs were incurred by the National Curriculum Council and the School Examinations and Assessment Council and date from the passing of the Education Reform Act 1988. Both councils have now been dissolved and it is not possible to identify the items of expenditure requested from their published accounts. Further work to identify the expenditure would incur disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the cost, since the enactment of the Education Reform Act 1988, of the development and implementation of the national curriculum and of the associated assessment of children.
Mr. Robin Squire : Expenditure by the Department on the development and implementation of the national curriculum and the associated assessment of children for the years 1988-89 to 1992-93 inclusive was £469 million. This mainly comprises grant in aid to the National Curriculum Council, the School Examinations and Assessment Council and the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, and funding under the grants for education support and training programme.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what have been the costs of external assessors in evaluating the various stages of the national curriculum and its assessment.
Mr. Robin Squire : There has been a variety of external evaluations of the national curriculum and its assessment, carried out under the auspices of the National Curriculum Council, the School Examinations and Assessment Council, and its successor, the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The Office for Standards in Education has also evaluated various aspects of the national curriculum. Information on the expenditure incurred is not held centrally by the Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Schools Councils
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what were the total operating costs of (a) the National Curriculum Council and (b) the School Examinations and Assessment Council from their inception until their winding up.
Mr. Robin Squire : The total operating costs of the National Curriculum Council and the School Examinations and Assessment Council, as recorded in their published accounts, from their inception on 15 August 1988 to 31 March 1993 were £36.3 million and £69.6 million respectively. Their final accounts for 1993-94 are not yet available.
Dearing Inquiry
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the operating and staffing costs to date of the Dearing inquiry.
Mr. Robin Squire : The operating and staffing costs of the Dearing review of the national curriculum are
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estimated at £95,000, excluding the cost of printing and distributing the interim and final reports, which is estimated at £660,000.Grant-maintained Status
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education on which dates copies of circular 18/93 were dispatched to (i) chairs of governors of schools and (ii) chief education officers.
Mr. Robin Squire : Distribution of circular 18/93 to schools and to local education authorities and others was handled by two separate contractors. I understand that the former distribution was completed by 31 December 1993 and the latter by 12 January 1994.
Fitzherbert School, Brighton
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the value placed on the former Fitzherbert school site in Brighton, prior to the City Technology Colleges Trust selling it to the Nuffield Nursing Homes Trust ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : This site was owned by the CTC Trust which was responsible for its valuation and disposal. The site was sold in November 1993 for a price which is commercially confidential.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Electricity Supply
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps will be taken to introduce competition into the provision of electricity supply in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Tim Smith : The Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland has responsibility for the development of competition in the supply of electricity. He reported on his plans for this on 16 December and a copy of his report can be obtained from the Office of Electricity Regulation, Northern Ireland.
Community Employment Schemes
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what was the total number of claims for injury compensation on Action for Community Employment schemes in each year since 1988 ;
(2) what were the yearly global sums paid by way of compensation to those injured on Action for Community Employment schemes since 1988 ;
(3) how many injury claims were (a) contested in court and (b) settled out of court arising from Action for Community Employment schemes in each year since 1988.
Mr. Tim Smith : Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. J. S. Crozier. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from J. S. Crozier to Rev. Martin Smyth, dated 13 January 1994 :
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me as Chief Executive of the Agency to reply to your questions about
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claims for injury compensation arising within Action for Community Employment (ACE) Schemes in each year from 1988.In responding to this enquiry I have to point out that ACE sponsors are independent employers subject to all the normal legal obligations of an employer including adherence to Health & Safety legislation. Sponsors are also required to arrange appropriate employer's and employee's public liability insurance for their projects. Any injury compensation claims arising within projects do not therefore involve the Agency and are the subject of settlement between the employer, their insurers and the claimant. Consequently the Agency does not hold information about the incidence of claims, the nature of settlement, or the value of compensation awarded. I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful on this occasion.
Union Flag
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to provide a Union flag for the premises of the Department of Agriculture at 2 Newry road, Armagh ; what arrangements have been made to fly the Union flag at these Government premises on the designated dates ; why it was not flown on 1 January ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ancram : A Union flag is available at the premises of the Department of Agriculture at 2 Newry road, Armagh, for use on designated dates.
The Union flag is normally flown at the premises on designated dates, although I regret that it was not flown on Saturday 1 January 1994 as no staff were available on that day to carry out the task. In future, when the designated date falls on a weekend or a public holiday the Union flag will be raised on the afternoon of the last working day prior to the designated date and lowered on the morning of the next working day.
Negative Equity
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of households with negative equity for the third quarter of 1993 ; and what this figure represents as a proportion of total owner-occupied households.
Mr. Tim Smith : I am unaware of any households in Northern Ireland with negative equity resulting from fluctuations in the housing market.
PRIME MINISTER
Data Protection
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Prime Minister whether he will make arrangements for the Data Protection Registrar to inspect relevant contracts with suppliers of IT services that involve the use of personal data held by his Department in order to check whether all appropriate arrangements in relation to the Data Protection Act 1984 have been made, and whether such contracts make provisions for the registrar to make random inspections in order to check the suppliers' compliance in with the eighth data protection principle.
The Prime Minister : My office has not placed any contracts with suppliers of IT services that involve the use of personal data held by my office.
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Civil List
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Prime Minister what is the annual financial value of the inflation-proofing built into the civil list ; and by what amounts that has exceeded the sum required for annual indexation based on the actual cost of living in each year since the new civil list was introduced.
The Prime Minister : There is no inflation-proofing built into the civil list. While the £7.9 million fixed annual payment took account of the average rate of inflation for the years 1979-1989, if actual inflation falls below this level the household is not in a position to spend the surplus but is expected to carry it forward to the end of the 10- year period. This was made quite clear in paragraph 12 of the 1990 report of the Royal Trustees--HC 629--which reads : "If cost inflation is lower in overall terms than the rate assumed in paragraph 11, the Royal Trustees would expect the Royal Household to carry forward a surplus at the end of the decade, for use in the next period."
Civil list expenditure to date under the new arrangements has fallen well below the actual rate of inflation.
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Prime Minister what account is taken of the inflation-proofing element in the annual refund of civil list money relating to those who have been removed from the civil list.
The Prime Minister : As set out in the report of the Royal Trustees- -paragraphs 21 to 23 of HC464, 11 February 1993--Her Majesty the Queen now reimburses the Consolidated Fund for the full cost of all the parliamentary annuities paid to members of the royal family except the Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh. The reimbursement for 1993 has already been received. The annuities are fixed sums and the question of inflation does not arise.
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether he has provided Lord Justice Scott with all documents requested for use by the inquiry ;
(2) what documents he has submitted to Lord Justice Scott in advance of his appearance before the inquiry.
The Prime Minister : The only request I have received is for a written statement, which I submitted on 12 January.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what guidelines he has issued to Ministers in regard to which questions on the involvement of the United Kingdom in arms and military equipment exports to Iraq since 1985 may be substantively answered while the Scott inquiry is still sitting.
The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) on 7 June 1993, Official Report, column 14.
Mr. Frank Machon
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what record he has of telephone calls made by Mr. Frank Machon of Glasgow to officials at 10 Downing street between September and the end of December 1993.
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Radio Broadcast
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a transcript of his interview with "The World this Weekend" broadcast on Radio 4 on 2 January.
The Prime Minister : No, it is not my policy to do so.
The Union
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Prime Minister whether he intends to make it his policy that the county of Cambridgeshire, or any other similar area in England, Scotland or Wales, will be permitted to secede from the Union should the majority of the residents of that county agree freely and concurrently with a majority of the residents of any other foreign country that they wish to do so ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 12 January 1993] : For my own part, I whole-heartedly support the continuation of the Union in its present form. The question of secession arises only in the context of nations rather than areas within the different jurisdictions. The majority of people in each of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom wish to maintain the Union.
TRANSPORT
BR Employees
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a table showing how many York-based British Rail employees were employed by each division of British Rail at the latest date for which figures are available and at the same date in each of the previous three years.
Mr. Freeman : As at 1 January 1994, the number of York-based British Rail employees by division was as follows :
|Number
------------------------------------------
Central Services |532
British Rail Property Board |45
Trainload Freight |69
Inter City |988
British Transport Police |10
Regional Railways |601
British Rail Telecom |71
Group HQ |38
|---
Total |2,354
Information for the previous three years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Hasquad Study
Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Hasquad study.
Mr. Norris : I announced on 4 January my decision not to pursue further the proposals for new road and rail infrastructure put forward by the consultants in their report on the Hasquad study. The consultants' proposals would be very costly, amounting to more than £800 million in total. At a time when public spending is under severe pressure, there has to
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be a very strong case for taking these proposals forward. When there is an overriding need for a transport scheme, whether road or rail, difficult decisions cannot be avoided. But in this case the consultants were concerned with problems within the study area, and proposed options mainly to benefit local residents and town centres. In these circumstances, we would want to take the proposals forward only if they had been strongly supported by the community. If the proposals are unwelcome in the area, I see no reason for the Government to adopt them.Of the large number of comments we have received from local residents since publication of the Hasquad report, the overwhelming majority have been opposed to the proposals. These have caused anxiety about the possible effects on property in the area and I therefore decided to end the uncertainty now rather than wait until the end of the consultation period.
The problems of travel and traffic congestion in the area identified by the consultants do, however, remain and are likely to get worse. My Department will therefore be ready to consider a package of more limited measures which the local authorities may wish to bring forward, in consultation with transport operators, with proposals for funding them.
Marchioness Disaster
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps were taken by the Metropolitan police, his maritime accident investigation branch, or any other body or person respectively to (a) obtain statements from and (b) provide information concerning their opportunity to give voluntary evidence to the maritime accident investigation branch inquiry, to Simon Hook and Dino Pereira, surviving passengers from the last cruise of the Marchioness.
Mr. Norris : Statements from both Mr. Hook and Mr. Pereira were taken by the Metropolitan police and copies were given to the inquiry. By means of press advertisement, anyone who wished to contribute to the inquiry was invited to do so ; neither of the two gentleman named responded.
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