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Nursery Voucher Scheme
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the nursery voucher system. [18916]
Mr. Richards: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 January 1996, Official Report, column 838, and to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 26 January 1996, Official Report, columns 479-80.
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the cost to local education authorities of administering the nursery voucher scheme; and if he will make it his policy to provide for these costs in the revenue settlement to local authorities in the event of the scheme being implemented in 1997. [19944]
Mr. Richards: The vouchers will be distributed and redeemed by a private contractor selected through normal tendering procedures to secure best value for money. The costs of the contractor will be funded from the new money that will be available. Additional administrative burdens for local authorities should be minimal. It is open to the Welsh Local Government Association to identify additional costs in the annual revenue settlement discussions with the Department.
Mr. Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which voucher schemes he examined before agreeing to introduce vouchers for pre-school provision for four-year-olds; and what conclusions he reached about their success in expanding provision and improving quality. [19942]
Mr. Richards: The Government consider that a voucher scheme is the most appropriate means of expanding nursery provision, while offering parents a greater choice in the sort of provision they want for their child, stimulating greater diversity of provision to enhance that choice, and raising standards generally. The scheme is being developed and tailored specifically to achieve those objectives. It is not meaningful to seek to make comparisons with other voucher schemes.
11 Mar 1996 : Column: 494
School Inspections
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many schools in Wales, by county, have been commended by the inspectorate; and if he will make a statement. [18919]
Mr. Richards: This is a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in Wales. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member and will place a copy of his reply in the Library of the House.
Council Tax
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each of the new unitary authorities and for Wales as a whole the (a) estimated council tax levels for each band per two-person household, (b) average council tax for each two-person household, (c) estimated revenue raised from council tax, (d) estimated revenue from all other sources and (e) column (c) expressed as a percentage of the totals of columns (c) and (d). [18528]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Unitary authorities in Wales are required to notify my right hon. Friend of the level of council tax set for 1996-97 by 18 March. I will write to the hon. Member when the final figures are available and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Local Management of Schools
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the mandatory exceptions that are taken into account when local education authorities are assessing that part of their education budget on which the minimum of 90 per cent. must be given to schools under the local management formula; and if all of the mandatory exceptions are covered by properly approved orders under which local authorities operate local management of schools properties. [19925]
Mr. Richards: Details are contained in the Education (Financial Delegation to Schools) (Mandatory Exceptions) Regulations 1995 which as a result of the Education (Financial Delegation to Schools) (Mandatory Exceptions) Revocation and Amendment) Regulations 1996 will apply to local education authorities in Wales for a financial year beginning on or after 1 April 1996.
University of Wales
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the numbers of students at each college of the university of Wales in each of the last five years, indicating the funding provided by the Government in (a) cash and (b) real terms for each college in each of these years. [19929]
Mr. Richards: The number of students at each college of the university of Wales from 1990-91 to 1994-95 1 was:
11 Mar 1996 : Column: 493
| 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95(44) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth | 4,013 | 4,502 | 5,070 | 5,767 | 6,629 |
| Bangor | 3,819 | 4,291 | 5,015 | 5,509 | 6,163 |
| Cardiff | 10,069 | 11,065 | 12,134 | 13,110 | 15,155 |
| St. Davids | 1,012 | 1,150 | 1,332 | 1,472 | 1,592 |
| Swansea | 6,056 | 7,124 | 7,823 | 8,807 | 9,688 |
| College of Medicine | 1,201 | 1,355 | 1,738 | 1,725 | 2,295 |
| Total | 26,170 | 29,487 | 33,112 | 36,390 | 41,522 |
(43)Includes full-time and part-time students. At December.
(44)Provisional.
11 Mar 1996 : Column: 495
11 Mar 1996 : Column: 495
| £ million | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | |
| Aberystwyth | 15.7 | 21.9 |
| Bangor | 16.1 | 21.4 |
| Cardiff | 37.2 | 49.7 |
| St. Davids | 3.3 | 5.0 |
| Medicine | 10.5 | 12.7 |
| Swansea | 23.7 | 32.2 |
| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | |
|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Bangor | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Cardiff | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| St. Davids | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Medicine | -- | -- |
| Swansea | 0.6 | 0.8 |
The movement in GDP between 1993-94 and 1994-95 was nearly 2 per cent.
Prior to 1993-94, funding for the higher education institutions in Wales was from a variety of sources. Comparable funding information for these years could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Win Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what percentage of the rate support grant has been included by the Welsh Office to give local education authorities the option to provide pre-school education for (a) four-year-olds and (b) three-year-olds in each of the last five years; [19924]
Mr. Richards:
Revenue support grant is not attributed to specific local authority services.
11 Mar 1996 : Column: 496
Mr. Win Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of students at the university of Glamorgan in each of the last five years, indicating the sums provided from public funds in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each of these years. [19928]
Mr. Richards:
The number of students at the university of Glamorgan--formerly the polytechnic of Wales--from 1990-91 to 1994-95 1 was:
Information on funding in the three years prior to 1993-94 could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what plans he has for the funding of the university of Glamorgan in 1998-99; and how many students this funding will enable the university to accept; [19926]
Mr. Richards:
My right hon. Friend announced the financial provision for the higher education sector in Wales for 1996-97, and the planning figures for the following two years, on 13 December 1995, Official Report, column 1004. A copy of the Department's letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales setting out the details of the settlements has been placed in the Library of the House. Decisions relating to individual institutions are for the HEFCW.
(2) what percentage of the revenue support grant has been included by the Welsh Office to support local authorities in meeting their statutory commitments to provide services for children under five years in each of the last five years. [19923]
In cash terms, the university of Glamorgan received grant support from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales in the academic years 1993-94 and 1994-95 of £18.7 million and £28.9 million respectively. In the financial years 1993-94 and 1994-95, it also received grant of £600,000 and £1.1 million respectively, in respect of backlog maintenance. The movement in GDP between 1993-94 and 1994-95 was nearly 2 per cent.
1990-91: 6,791
1991-92: 8,098
1992-93: 11,525
1993-94: 13,886
1994-95: 14,517 2
1 Includes full-time and part-time students. At November for 1990-91 to 1993-94 and at December for 1994-95.
2 Provisional.
(2) what plans he has for the funding of the colleges of the university of Wales in 1998-99; and how many students this funding will enable the colleges to accept. [19927]
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