Education Act 1996

484 Grants for education support and training

(1) The Secretary of State may pay grants, known as grants for education support and training, to local education authorities in respect of eligible expenditure incurred or to be incurred by them.

(2) In this section “eligible expenditure” means expenditure of any class or description for the time being specified in regulations, being expenditure for or in connection with educational purposes which it appears to the Secretary of State that local education authorities should be encouraged to incur in the interests of education in England and Wales.

(3) The regulations shall provide that any grant for education support and training payable in pursuance of the regulations—

(a) shall only be payable in respect of eligible expenditure incurred or to be incurred by a local education authority in a financial year to the extent to which that expenditure is approved for that year by the Secretary of State for the purposes of the regulations, and

(b) shall be payable at such rate as may be specified in the regulations.

(4) The regulations may provide for the time and manner of payment of any grant for education support and training.

(5) The regulations may provide for expenditure incurred or to be incurred by any local education authority in making payments, whether by way of maintenance, assistance or otherwise, to any body or persons who incur expenditure for or in connection with educational purposes (including another local education authority) to be treated, in such circumstances as may be specified in the regulations, as eligible expenditure.

(6) The Secretary of State may exercise his power under subsection (1) separately and differently in relation to local education authorities in England and local education authorities in Wales, and “education in England and Wales” in subsection (2) shall be construed accordingly.

(7) Nothing in section 29(1) or 507 applies in relation to any function of the Secretary of State under this section or under section 489 so far as it relates to regulations under this section; and nothing in sections 495 to 497 applies in relation to any function arising by virtue of section 489 so far as it relates to such regulations.