Appendix 5
Reply from the Chairman of the Education and Skills
Committee
Regulatory Reform (Voluntary Aided Schools Liabilities
and Funding) (England) Order 2002
Thank you for inviting the views of the Education
and Skills Select Committee on the proposal for a Regulatory Reform
(Voluntary Aided Schools Liabilities and Funding) (England) Order
2002.
We have no objection to this proposal going ahead.
We note that the regulatory reform procedure offers
thorough consultation with all interested parties. We note that
the Government had begun to proceed with these proposals before
a slot was guaranteed on the legislation programme for the Education
Bill. We also note that the wider issues affecting certain matters,
for example after school childcare, resulted in the Education
Bill being preferred in these cases to the Regulatory Reform route.
On your second point, we note that the DfES has now
clarified that 95 percent of the additional grant (from 85 percent
to 90 percent) can be accounted for by the increased costs falling
on VA governing bodies as a result of the changes in liabilities;
and that the remainder will be largely, if not entirely, taken
up by the difference in VAT framework since the 85 percent level
was set in 1974.
I am grateful to you for giving us the opportunity
to comment, and for sharing with us the Government's submissions
on this proposal.
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