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Mr. Alan Howarth : Information available is as follows :
Column 9
Percentages
Academic year beginning
|1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989<1>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Older mature participation index
Men |0.269 |0.264 |0.274 |0.275 |0.331 |0.356
Women |0.250 |0.279 |0.291 |0.317 |0.371 |0.400
Younger mature entry index
Men |10.8 |11.7 |11.6 |11.5 |12.4 |13.6
Women |4.6 |5.0 |4.6 |4.9 |5.6 |6.3
<1>Provisional.
The indices are not calculated with reference to socio-economic groups.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total number of mandatory awards made to mature students in higher education in each year from 1980 to the latest available date.
Column 10
Mr. Alan Howarth : The data are not available in the form requested. The numbers of awards made to students with independent status in England and Wales from 1980-81 to 1988-89 were :
Full Value Awards ---------------------- 1980-81 |46,919 1981-82 |49,810 1982-83 |51,526
Mandatory Awards ---------------------- 1983-84 |41,070 1984-85 |41,318 1985-86 |42,978 1986-87 |46,732 1987-88 |53,066 1988-89 |60,310
The figures are for the academic year. Full value awards include both mandatory awards and full value discretionary awards. The status of a student is either independent or dependent. To be treated as an independent student the student must be an orphan or satisfy one or more of the following in the year before the course starts : have reached the age of 25 ; have been self-supporting for three years or more ; have been married for three years or more. All other students are treated as dependent.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out in tabular form the number of applications made by mature students aged (a) 21 to 25 years and (b) over 25 years for entry to courses in higher education in each year since 1987 ; how many were accepted ; and what percentage this represented in each of these years.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Information on the number of mature students applying and accepted for higher education in 1988-89 through the two central admission agencies is as follows :
Mature Students 1988-89
|Applications|Acceptances |(b)/(a)
|(a) |admissions |percentage
|(b)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
UCCA applicants/acceptances<1>
Age 21-25 years
home domicile |11,139 |4,739 |42.5
Age over 25 years
home domicile |11,946 |5,373 |45.0
PCAS applicants/admissions<2>
Age 21-25 years
home domicile |15,313 |5,462 |35.7
Age over 25 years
home domicile |12,410 |5,429 |43.7
Sources:
UCCA-Statistical Supplement to 1988-89 Annual Report.
PCAS-Statistical Supplement to 1988-89 Annual Report.
<1> Candidates applying for admission to United Kingdom Universities (
excluding the Open University and the University of Buckingham)
through UCCA for full-time undergraduate first degree or first
diploma courses.
<2> Applicants are those who seek admission to a full-time or
sandwich first degree or Diploma of Higher Education or Higher
National diploma course in a polytechnic/college through PCAS.
Nuclear Research
Dr. Bray : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the historic costs to the United Kingdom of participation in CERN in 1987-88 and the projected costs for 1991-92 and 1992-93 ; and what percentage of these costs were due to forward currency buying.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The information requested is as follows :
Column 12
Financial |United |Forward
year |Kingdom |buying
|payment to |element
|CERN
|£ million|Percentage
------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |56.0 |6.6
<1>1991-92 |57.8 |2.4
<1>1992-93 |59.3 |2.2
<1> Estimated.
Note: The premium payments for forward buying
of currency each year vary according to a
number of factors including the prevailing and
forecast interest and exchange rates.
National Curriculum
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on progress in the implementation of cross-curricular themes within the provisions of the national curriculum.
Mr. Eggar : Evidence from Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools indicates that schools are making good progress in implementing the national curriculum and that it is already having a favourable effect on standards. It is up to individual schools how they deliver the national curriculum subjects and whether certain aspects are linked across subject boundaries in a cross-curricular way. To help schools with this task, however, the National Curriculum Council has recently issued a series of booklets to schools on the effective delivery of cross-curricular themes.
Portage Projects
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what response he has made to the report on portage projects published by Her Majesty's inspectorate in January 1990 ; (2) what steps he is taking to ensure that families which have benefited from the portage service funded under education suppport grants are enabled to have a continuity of support when the grant period ends.
Mr. Fallon : The Secretary of State welcomed this HMI report on how a sample of 13 portage schemes worked in practice. The Department has reviewed the effectiveness of the £8.1 million of central Government expenditure on portage in the light of the report, and has concluded that this pump-priming initiative to help establish such a local service was a worthwhile investment.
Portage is a locally administered service. Central ESG support is limited to pump-priming purposes. LEAs are, however, free to continue funding portage schemes, and to develop others from within their own resources if they so wish. What if any continued provision is made is for each LEA to decide.
ENERGY
Electricity Prices
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what representations he has received from the energy intensive users' group regarding prospective bulk electricity prices for the next financial year ;
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(2) when he expects to respond to the representations he has received from the energy-intensive users' group regarding prospective increases in the cost of bulk electricity supplied to heavy industry.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the right hon. Member for Halton (Mr. Oakes) on 30 January 1991 at columns 507 and 508.
Nuclear Levy
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the most up-to-date estimate of the level of the nuclear levy over each of the next five years.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The amount of the levy depends on a variety of factors including the terms of the nuclear contracts. The amount actually collected each year may fluctuate up or down depending upon estimates made of future electricity revenues. However, I am confident that the levy rate will follow a downward trend over the next eight years.
Fallow Blocks
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made in 1989 and 1990 in reducing the number of fallow blocks on the United Kingdom continental shelf.
Mr. Moynihan : There has been very good progress. At the beginning of 1989, there were 125 blocks in the fallow category. Of these 104 were in the mature areas of the North Sea, and 21 in the higher risk and more difficult frontier areas north and west of the Shetlands. At the end of 1990, the overall total of such blocks remaining fallow was 41. The number in the mature area had been reduced to 29 : a fall of nearly three quarters. In the frontier area, there has been a slower rate of progress, but here also we have seen significant new activity. The operators still holding fallow blocks have told me they expect to make further substantial progress during 1991. I welcome this assurance of their continuing commitment.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Nicaragua
42. Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is for each year since 1985 the bilateral aid granted to Nicaragua.
Mrs. Chalker : The figures of amounts spent are :
|£
------------------------
1985 |116,000
1986 |86,000
1987 |nil
1988 |180,000
1989 |61,000
A figure for 1990 is not yet available. These exclude amounts going, via the joint funding scheme, through British NGOs.
USSR (Food Aid)
44. Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on food aid to the USSR.
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Mrs. Chalker : With our partners we are watching developments in the Soviet Union closely. We have suspended European Community technical assistance although emergency and food aid may continue where we can guarantee delivery direct to those in need. There is no Government-to- Government aid to the Soviet Union.
Aid Allocation
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what major changes have taken place and are planned in the allocation of moneys from the aid budget.
Mrs. Chalker : The aid programme is managed flexibly to enable us to respond to the changing needs of developing countries. Its allocation will continue to reflect the priorities we have established.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase aid to sub-Saharan countries in Africa.
Mrs. Chalker : Our bilateral aid to sub-Saharan African countries increased from £267 million in 1986 to £496 million in 1989. We intend to maintain a substantial programme in those countries where aid can be used effectively.
Gulf Crisis
45. Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will now increase their aid budget to nearer the United Nations recommended level to reflect the increased needs created by the Gulf conflict.
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has any plans to review overseas aid contributions in the light of the Gulf crisis.
Mrs. Chalker : Future plans for expenditure on overseas aid were published at the time of the autumn statement. Our priorities are kept under review to ensure they respond to the changing needs of developing countries.
Gaza Strip
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts he will make to assist the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in ensuring adequate nutrition and medical facilities in the Gaza strip during the present middle east crisis.
Mrs. Chalker : Britain has traditionally been and remains a major contributor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's work. In 1990 we provided £5.5 million and hope to increase our support in 1991. This, together with other donors' contributions, will help the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to carry out its traditional roles of providing for education, health, relief and other needs of Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories.
Column 15
Rain Forests (Logging)
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on commercial logging in tropical rain forests in the light of the International Tropical Timber Organisation council meeting in Japan.
Mrs. Chalker : The International Tropical Timber Organisation's remit is to promote the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber and to encourage the development of national policies aimed at sustainable utilisation and conservation of tropical forests and their genetic resources. At the last meeting of the International Tropical Timber Organisation in Japan in November 1990, the council reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable forest development. The council confirmed the International Tropical Timber Organisation's target of the year 2000 for all trade in tropical timber to come from sustainable sources and the principles embodied in the International Tropical Timber Organisation guidelines for best management practice of natural tropical forests including logging. To help promote the guidelines more widely, the International Tropical Timber Organisation agreed to host a world conference of senior foresters in July 1991. At the next council meeting in Quito in May there will be a round table discussion on incentives for tropical timber producing countries to adopt sustainable forest management policies. This will be informed by a study commissioned by the International Tropical Timber Organisation from the Oxford forestry institute and financed by my Department.
Least-developed Countries
Mr. Crowther : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to increase the amount of aid granted to the 42 least-developed countries to 0.15 per cent. of gross national product.
Mrs. Chalker : In the programme of action adopted by the second United Nations conference on the least-developed countries held in Paris on 3 to 14 September 1990 no target applicable to all donors was established. The United Kingdom, along with several other donors, undertook to make our best efforts to reach the previously agreed United Nations target of 0.15 per cent. of gross national product. However, 70 per cent. of our bilateral aid goes to the poorest countries, some of the largest of which are not on the United Nations list of least-developed countries.
Mr. Crowther : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, as a percentage of gross national product, the total amount of aid granted by Her Majesty's Government to the 42 least-developed countries in each of the last 10 years.
Mrs. Chalker : Net official development assistance to countries classified by the United Nations as least developed in the year in question, as a percentage of gross national product was as follows :
Year |Percentage of
|gross national
|product
---------------------------------------------
1980 |0.09
1981 |0.12
1982 |0.11
1983 |0.10
1984 |0.09
1985 |0.11
1986 |0.08
1987 |0.08
1988 |0.10
1989 |0.10
Bilateral Aid
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those bilateral aid projects involving Overseas Development Administration of more than £20 million which it is currently estimated will exceed the original Overseas Development Administration contribution by 15 per cent. or more.
Mrs. Chalker : The only current project of this kind is the Cairo wastewater project in Egypt. The original Overseas Development Administration commitment of £52.4 million has been increased to £64.4 million because the scope of the project has been enlarged since it was first approved.
Ethiopia
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of total United Kingdom aid to Ethiopia since 1986 was used for agricultural or water conservation projects.
Mrs. Chalker : In the current financial year over 40 per cent. of our long-term development assistance to Ethiopia will be used in agricultural and water projects. This represents about 7 per cent. of our estimated total aid, including humanitarian assistance, to Ethiopia during the same period. A figure for the whole of the period since 1986 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will increase the level of per capita aid to Ethiopia to £1.
Mrs. Chalker [holding answer 31 January 1991] : We allocate our aid between countries taking account of a large number of factors including need, the prospect of it being used effectively and the nature of our relations with the country concerned. It would not be sensible to target per capita aid levels in the way suggested.
Aid Programme (Evaluation)
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was paid in each of the last two years to outside evaluators of the United Kingdom's aid programme.
Mrs. Chalker : Payment to external evaluators by the evaluation department amounted to £277,930 in 1989 and £216,169 in 1990.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made with other aid donors in agreeing economic and social indicators against which the progress of aid projects could be judged.
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Mrs. Chalker : There is broad agreement among donors about the economic and social indicators which reflect quality of life in developing countries and those which might appropriately be used to judge the success of particular projects. However, there has been less progress in agreeing the use of specific quantitative economic and social performance measures that might be used as part of the aid co-ordination process between a recipient government and donors collectively.Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Monklands, West on 21 January, Official Report, column 39, he will name those outside evaluators used to study the effectiveness of particular aspects of the United Kingdom's aid programme in the last two years.
Mrs. Chalker [holding answer 31 January 1991] : The following evaluators were used by our evaluation department in 1989 and 1990 : Mr. T. Anderson
Mr. G. Armstrong
Mr. S. Aicester
Mr. A. Airey
Dr. R. Bailey
Mr. A. Barnett
Mr. B. Barrett
Mr. R. Beales
Ms. D. Bryceson
Mr. E. Burr
Ms. C. Cassals
Mr. M. Chand
Mr. G. Clarke
Mr. J. Cusworth
Mr. T. Duncan
Mr. J. Eaton
Mr. M. Felton
Mr. M. Flint
Ms. L. Gardiner
Mr. F. Greig
Mr. J. Groves
Dr. P. Hall
Mr. P. Hardcastle
Mr. P. Harding
Mr. D. Harkin
Mr. P. Harris
Dr. M. Harrison
Prof. C. Hassal
Mr. A. Holt
Mr. P. Howgate
Mr. J. Howe
Ms. J. Johnson
Dr. D. Jones
Ms. S. Jones
Mr. P. Kennard
Dr. S. Ladbury
Mr. C. Lane
Mr. R. Lattimer
Mr. R. Limbrey
Mr. G. McGilvary
Mr. P. McLean
Mr. R. Moberley
Mr. G. Munday
Mr. N. Mutter
Prof. E. Naylor
Mr. A. Palfreman
Mr. J. Pickford
Mr. D. Potten
Mr. J. Quelch-Wools
Dr. J. Redhead
Mr. J. Roberts
Mr. M. Segall
Mr. D. Shields
Mr. I. Smout
Mr. D. Stiedl
Dr. R. Stirrat
Dr. P. Street
Ms. N. Thandon
Dr. A. Taylor
Mr. R. Thompson
Mr. A. Tomowski
Mr. A. Wall
Mr. D. Watson
Mr. A. Wearing
Mr. E. Weatherhead
Mr. R. Wedderburn
Dr. C. Weir
Mr. R. Wilson
Mr. J. Winpenny
Mr. S. Zadek
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