To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the percentage element of central Government support in local education authority expenditure for each financial year since 1979–80.

The bulk of central Government support for local authority expenditure is channelled through revenue support grant, which is not hypothecated to individual services. Latest available published data suggest that specific and special grants to local authorities falling within the Department of Education and Science programme have accounted for the following percentages of local authority recurrent education spending:

	Per cent.
1979–80	6
1980–81	7
1981–82	7
1982–83	6
1983–84	6
1984–85	6
1985–86	6
1986–87	5
1987–88	6
1988–89	6

	Per cent.
1989–90	17
1990–91	19
1 estimated

Expenditure by local authorities on education is also supported by grants within the programmes of a range of other Government departments, including grants made under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, the urban programme, the technical and vocational education initiative, and the work-related further education programme.