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Dance Schools
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to support individual children who wish to attend specialist dance schools where provision is not available locally. [119200]
Ms Estelle Morris: The Music and Ballet Scheme provides over 700 Government-aided places for school-age pupils at three independent specialist ballet schools and four independent specialist music schools in England. The great majority of those places are boarding places to enable exceptionally talented children from any part of the country to benefit from the best possible training on offer alongside a broad and balanced general education. We have recently reviewed the Scheme and intend to continue it with some improvements.
In addition, the Dance and Drama Awards provide for 820 talented students aged over 16 to join high quality vocational dance and drama training courses at nearly 30 specialist schools and colleges each year. Funding is available to support students who have to live away from home.
Standard Spending Assessment
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the cost of raising the SSA per pupil to at least the level of (a) the 50 LEA, (b) the 60 LEA and (c) the 70 LEA from the bottom in the year 2000-01. [119404]
Ms Estelle Morris: The estimated costs would be: (a) £282 million; (b) £346 million; and (c) £437 million.
LEA Reserves
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the amount of surplus reserves held by each LEA. [119194]
Ms Estelle Morris: The following table shows, for each local education authority in England, the level of reserves held at 31 March 1999, the latest information available centrally. Reserves are held for the purposes of the authority as a whole and are not specific to education.
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Fraud
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the amounts paid to each local authority in the last financial year under (a) the weekly benefit savings scheme and (b) other schemes, in reward to local authorities for action on housing benefit fraud. [118391]
Angela Eagle: The last full financial year for which we have returns for the weekly benefit savings scheme and the challenge fund scheme, which ran for three years and encouraged councils to bid for funding for innovative anti-fraud initiatives, is 1998-99. I have placed a copy of these returns in the Library.
Age Allowance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the value was of the age allowance for pensioners in each year from its introduction in 1971, to the present day in relation to (a) the index of retail prices and (b) the index of average earnings. [119183]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the table.
Notes:
1. The Retail Prices Index (all items) has been used, as published by the Office for National Statistics.
2. Average Earning Index Whole Economy (Non-Seasonally Adjusted) has been used, as published by the Office for National Statistics.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 pence at each uprating date.
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Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many sufferers of fybromyalgia were awarded disability living allowance in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000 to date. [118848]
Angela Eagle: Information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1997(3) | 11,900 |
| 1998(3) | 8,800 |
| 1999(4) | 6,600 |
(3) Figures relate to 12 months ending November
(4) Figures relate to 9 months ending August
Source:
Analytical Services Division (5 per cent. data)
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