Vol. 446 No. 1
125 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education the amount of money being spent on research into the effects of disadvantage in education; if such study has included evaluation of the criteria used to identify schools; and the changes that have been recommended. [1672/94]
I have allocated a sum of £35,000 in the current year to two research projects relating to educational disadvantage. The first of these projects is aimed at monitoring the development of the early start pre-school programme which I recently introduced in selected areas of particular disadvantage.
Under the second project, I have commissioned the Combat Poverty Agency to carry out an evaluation of the adequacy of the criteria currently used for selecting schools for disadvantaged area status and to propose such modifications to current practice as they consider appropriate. Both of the studies mentioned are ongoing and no final recommendations are available at this stage.
