Schools: Accommodation Sarah Teather To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many temporary school buildings were in use in each London borough in each year since 1997. Jim Knight Data supplied to the Department by local authorities in 2001, 2003 and 2005 show the following numbers of temporary buildings at maintained schools in each London borough: --------------------------------------- | |2001|2003|2005| --------------------------------------- |Barking and Dagenham |5 |9 |19 | --------------------------------------- |Barnet |72 |153 |99 | --------------------------------------- |Bexley |190 |174 |44 | --------------------------------------- |Brent |84 |70 |70 | --------------------------------------- |Bromley |28 |28 |24 | --------------------------------------- |Croydon |126 |116 |110 | --------------------------------------- |Ealing |20 |119 |70 | --------------------------------------- |Enfield |— |— |65 | --------------------------------------- |Greenwich |— |— |22 | --------------------------------------- |Hackney |29 |10 |19 | --------------------------------------- |Haringey |7 |30 |7 | --------------------------------------- |Harrow |144 |146 |150 | --------------------------------------- |Havering |— |2 |22 | --------------------------------------- |Hillingdon |95 |90 |9 | --------------------------------------- |Hounslow |44 |53 |98 | --------------------------------------- |Islington |2 |11 |8 | --------------------------------------- |Kensington and Chelsea|3 |3 |3 | --------------------------------------- |Kingston upon Thames |— |— |2 | --------------------------------------- |Lambeth |41 |41 |41 | --------------------------------------- |Lewisham |31 |32 |25 | --------------------------------------- |Merton |— |4 |5 | --------------------------------------- |Newham |90 |89 |72 | --------------------------------------- |Redbridge |— |— |14 | --------------------------------------- |Richmond upon Thames |— |16 |35 | --------------------------------------- |Southwark |9 |11 |11 | --------------------------------------- |Sutton |99 |104 |84 | --------------------------------------- |Tower Hamlets |17 |12 |15 | --------------------------------------- |Waltham Forest |— |19 |19 | --------------------------------------- |Wandsworth |22 |22 |29 | --------------------------------------- |Westminster |4 |— |2 | --------------------------------------- These data are of thought to be of variable quality and completeness. Data are not held by my Department for other years since 1997. Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.4 billion in 2007-08 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary buildings where they are considered to be unsuitable. Modern, high-quality mobile or demountable buildings provide a good environment for teaching and learning where there is short-term need. They might, for instance, be needed to cope with a short-term increase in pupil numbers, or where extensive remodelling or rebuilding of permanent accommodation means providing temporary accommodation on the school site, rather than transporting children elsewhere.