asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is now taking to ensure that adequate supplies of basic educational equipment are provided by local education authorities to schools.

In their expenditure plans, the Government have made provision, nationally, for expenditure per pupil on schools' overall running costs—not counting the salaries of teaching staff which are dealt with separately—to be 2 per cent. higher in real terms in 1980–81 compared with last year. It is for individual local authorities to decide precisely how to implement these spending plans in the light of local needs and circumstances.