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Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 20 May 1991] : We and other members of the Security Council keep Iraqi compliance with the council's resolution 687 under close review.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with whom he has discussed proposals to use the US nuclear emergency search team to verify Iraqi compliance with United Nations Security Council resolution 687.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 20 May 1991) : Any proposals to use personnel in support of the work of the IAEA and the Special Commission to implement UNSCR 687 are for discussion between the IAEA and the Special Commission and the United States authorities.
British Embassy, Teheran
Mr. Dover : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the visa section of the British embassy in Teheran to resume operations.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 20 May 1991] : We have no plans to open a visa section in our embassy in Teheran.
Ballistic Missiles
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those states identified by Her Majesty's Government as (a) already possessing ballistic missiles and (b) having the potential to build ballistic missiles.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 20 May 1991] : The following countries are known or believed to possess ballistic missiles : Afghanistan
Belgium
Bulgaria
China
Czechoslovakia
Egypt
France
Germany
Italy
Korea, Republic of
Libya
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Hungary
Iran
Iraq
Israel
USSR
United Kingdom
United States of America
Yemen
In addition, North Korea, which is not recognised as a state by Her Majesty's Government, is believed to have deployed ballistic missiles.
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In addition, the following countries have in the past shown an interest in developing ballistic missiles.Argentina
Brazil
India
Pakistan
South Africa
Albania
Mr. Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about resuming diplomatic relations with Albania.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 20 May 1991] : The Albanian Foreign Minister called on me on 13 May. We discussed the question of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Albania. We hope to give an early reply to the Albanian offer to restore diplomatic relations.
IAEA Safeguards
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to include on the agenda of the next meeting of the international organisations in Vienna a discussion of the proposals by ambassador Tetsuya Endo to extend the scope and increase the budgets of the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards budgets.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 20 May 1991] : Safeguards are on the provisional agenda of the June IAEA board of governors meeting and any related issues will no doubt be discussed then. We are studying the issues involved and will carefully consider all proposals.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Hackney Education Directorate
4. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Minister next plans to visit Hackney education directorate.
Mr. Eggar : I have arranged to visit Hackney on 13 June. I am also meeting the leader of the council on 6 June to discuss the action plan to improve the education service in Hackney.
Education and Training
13. Mr. Cunliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has to increase the proportion of students in education and training post-16 years.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms. Short).
Student Unions
15. Mr. Douglas : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the responses he has received in connection with his examination of the future of student unions.
Mr. Alan Howarth : I am giving careful consideration to the various responses which I have received as a result of
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my letter of 29 November 1990. As the consultations are still in progress, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.Cricket
16. Mr. John Carlisle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any further proposals to promote the playing of cricket in schools.
Mr. Atkins : Both schools and local sports clubs have an important role to play in the development of cricket for young people. Physical education in the national curriculum will be compulsory up to the age of 16 with effect from September 1992 and I am urging teachers and coaches to ensure that cricket is one of the competitive team games which is encouraged.
Teachers
17. Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to change the basis of funding teachers' salaries under the local management of schools.
Mr. Fallon : Pupil-led funding is a basic principle of local management and we have no plans to change that. However, we have said that we shall review the effects of our policy on the treatment of salary costs as the transitional arrangements governing the change from historic to formula funding unwind.
25. Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to encourage women to return to teaching ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : We are already encouraging women to return to teaching through our grants for education support and training (GEST) programme, which supports LEA measures to recruit returners and mature entrants to teaching. In 1991-92 about £10 million is available for this purpose and we have already earmarked a further £10 million for expenditure in 1992-93. Most potential returners are women who may need particular help to enable them to re-enter teaching. Many GEST-funded activities are directed specifically towards providing such help.
29. Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on morale in the teaching profession.
Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend and I have taken every opportunity to praise the dedication and achievements of teachers. The Government's intention to establish a pay review body for teachers recognises that commitment and will give practical effect to our desire to enhance the status of the profession. The interim advisory committee of school teachers' pay and conditions has noted an improvement in morale as the national curriculum is successfully introduced and the benefits of local management of schools start to be felt.
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average length of time prospective teachers have to wait before being vetted for suitability for specific teaching posts.
Mr. Fallon : Recruitment of teachers, including deciding an applicant's suitability for a specific post, is a matter for
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individual employers : LEAs, and the governing bodies of schools and other establishments. The Department does not collect statistics about the length of time taken by employers' recruitment procedures.Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers are currently employed in sixth form colleges organised under school regulations.
Mr. Fallon : The number of qualified teachers employed in sixth form colleges in England in January 1990 was 7,278.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his Department's latest estimate of the number of qualified teachers who are not currently teaching.
Mr. Fallon : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what his Department estimates to be the average cost per year of (a) a primary school teacher and (b) a secondary school teacher.
Mr. Eggar : In April 1991 the estimated average cost, including employers' on-costs, of employing a primary school teacher outside London was some £19,340. The comparable figure for a secondary school teacher was about £21,160.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of teachers employed in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools on a yearly basis since 1970.
Mr. Fallon : The number of qualified full-time and part-time teachers employed in primary and secondary schools in England for the period 1970 to 1990, the latest date for which information is available, is given in the table.
Number of qualified teachers employed in maintained primary and secondary schools in England 1970 to 1990 Year |Primary |Secondary ----------------------------------------1970 |194,971 |185,682 1971 |200,596 |185,077 1972 |210,755 |194,831 1973 |217,707 |206,721 1974 |222,880 |223,683 1975 |227,296 |233,454 1976 |226,925 |241,047 1977 |223,141 |246,819 1978 |205,338 |236,354 1979 |204,405 |240,810 1980 |200,534 |242,475 1981 |196,143 |243,435 1982 |188,876 |240,476 1983 |183,678 |239,323 1984 |181,852 |237,368 1985 |181,501 |230,871 1986 |183,313 |225,715 1987 |187,037 |221,184 1988 |191,910 |215,231 1989 |195,008 |207,994 1990 |199,498 |203,400
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the latest figures for the number of full and part-time teachers employed by each of the local education authorities in England.
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Mr. Fallon : The latest figures relate to January 1990 and are contained in the DES Statistical Bulletin 5/91, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Teesside Polytechnic
18. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the proposed linking of Teesside polytechnic with the university of Durham.
Mr. Alan Howarth : I understand that discussions are continuing between the polytechnic and the university about their joint plan to extend higher education opportunities in Teesside.
City Technology Colleges
19. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the current progress and development of city technology colleges.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The CTC programme continues to make excellent progress. By this September 13 colleges will be up and running and I announced plans for new colleges in Bristol and Derby only last month. CTCs have proved extremely popular with pupils and their parents.
A-levels
20. Mr. David Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy towards the position of the A-level in the curriculum ; and if he will make a statement.
21. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to broaden the A-level examinations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : As is clear from the White Paper, "Education and Training for the 21st Century", which we published yesterday, the Government remain committed to maintaining A-levels and the standards that they represent.
Grant-maintained Schools
22. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools are grant maintained ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : There are 62 grant-maintained schools in operation. To date we have approved applications from a further 16 schools.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to increase the number of grant-maintained schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The number of schools seeking and acquiring grant- maintained status is rising very rapidly. To date we have approved 78 applications. A further 74 schools have either published proposals or are committed to doing so following ballots in favour of applying for GM status. Seventy-nine ballots are pending. In the last three months alone, 49 schools have voted to apply for
grant-maintained status.
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We shall continue to make clear that we believe schools generally should consider the opportunities afforded by grant-maintained status.Stratford School
23. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what funds are being made available to Stratford school following the granting of grant-maintained status.
Mr. Eggar : The level of annual maintenance grant for Stratford for 1991-92 has not been finalised. The proposed figure, issued to the school and to Newham local education authority for comment, is £1,551,435. Stratford school has received £52,950 in transitional grant. The school will receive special purpose grant (development) of £31,700 for the financial year 1991-92. A formula allocation of capital grant of up to £25,900 is available to the school for small capital works and the purchase of equipment. The governing body has made bids for capital grant for specific capital projects. These bids are being considered.
Further Education
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received any communications from the directors of further education colleges concerning his statement on 21 March.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have received a large number of letters from principals of further education colleges since 21 March. The great majority have expressed support for my proposals for the reorganisation of further education.
Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all local education authorities in England in rank order showing the percentages of 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds participating in full-time and full-time plus part-time day education for 1989-90.
Mr. Eggar : The information is as follows :
Table A Distribution of local authorities by age participation rate 16-year-olds (1989-90): Full-Time Education |Per cent. -----------------------------------------------Name of LEA 1. Harrow |82 2. Brent |80 3. Barnet |78 4. Surrey |73 5. Ealing |71 6. Kingston UT |70 7. Hounslow |68 8. Redbridge |68 9. Sutton |67 10. Bromley |66 11. Haringey |64 12. Hertfordshire |63 13. Berkshire |63 14. East Sussex |63 15. Buckinghamshire |63 16. Enfield |62 17. Sefton |62 18. West Sussex |61 19. Oxfordshire |60 20. Calderdale |60 21. Isle of Wight |60 22. Hampshire |60 23. North Yorkshire |59 24. Hillingdon |58 25. Cambridgeshire |58 26. ILEA |58 27. Richmond UT |58 28. Bury |58 29. Bedfordshire |58 30. Croydon |57 31. Cornwall |57 32. Somerset |57 33. Wirral |57 34. Devon |56 35. Kirklees |56 36. North Tyneside |56 37. Wiltshire |55 38. Stockport |55 39. Cheshire |55 40. Warwickshire |55 41. Liverpool |55 42. Kent |55 43. Hereford and Worcester |55 44. Avon |55 45. Lincolnshire |54 46. Merton |54 47. Solihull |54 48. Dorset |54 49. Leicestershire |53 50. Gloucestershire |53 51. Birmingham |52 52. Essex |52 53. Manchester |52 54. Trafford |52 55. Waltham Forest |51 56. Bexley |51 57. Northumberland |51 58. Northamptonshire |51 59. Wigan |51 60. Newham |50 61. Norfolk |50 62. Derbyshire |50 63. Rotherham |50 64. Salop |49 65. St. Helens |49 66. Lancashire |49 67. Havering |49 68. Bradford |48 69. Staffordshire |48 70. Newcastle UT |48 71. Wakefield |47 72. Nottinghamshire |47 73. Dudley |47 74. Cleveland |47 75. Coventry |47 76. Leeds |47 77. Suffolk |46 78. Walsall |46 79. Bolton |46 80. Wolverhampton |46 81. Doncaster |45 82. Sheffield |45 83. Rochdale |45 84. Tameside |45 85. Gateshead |45 86. Salford |45 87. Durham |44 88. South Tyneside |44 89. Sunderland |44 90. Barnsley |44 91. Humberside |43 92. Sandwell |43 93. Cumbria |42 94. Knowsley |40 95. Oldham |40 96. Barking |33
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Table B Distribution of local authorities by age participation rate 16-year-olds (1989-90): Full-time plus part-time day education |Per cent. -----------------------------------------------Name of LEA 1. Brent |92 2. Harrow |90 3. Isle of Wight |88 4. Surrey |85 5. Ealing |83 6. Barnet |83 7. Redbridge |82 8. Bedfordshire |78 9. Kingston upon Thames |78 10. Sutton |77 11. Haringey |77 12. Oxfordshire |77 13. St. Helens |76 14. Somerset |76 15. Hounslow |76 16. Buckinghamshire |75 17. Hertfordshire |75 18. Calderdale |75 19. Bury |74 20. East Sussex |74 21. Bromley |74 22. Berkshire |74 23. Gloucestershire |73 24. Cornwall |73 25. Warwickshire |73 26. North Yorkshire |73 27. Enfield |72 28. Hampshire |72 29. North Tyneside |72 30. West Sussex |72 31. Wigan |72 32. Cambridgeshire |72 33. Devon |72 34. Trafford |71 35. Lincolnshire |71 36. Cheshire |71 37. Hillingdon |71 38. Leicestershire |71 39. Hereford and Worcester |70 40. Sefton |70 41. Avon |70 42. Nottinghamshire |70 43. Bradford |70 44. Shropshire |69 45. Newham |69 46. Rotherham |69 47. Stockport |69 48. Wirral |69 49. Wiltshire |69 50. Croydon |68 51. Kirklees |68 52. Manchester |68 53. Northumberland |68 54. Coventry |68 55. Lancashire |67 56. Havering |67 57. Suffolk |67 58. Cumbria |67 59. Staffordshire |66 60. Dudley |66 61. Bexley |66 62. Kent |66 63. Derbyshire |66 64. ILEA |66 65. Merton |65 66. Liverpool |65 67. Norfolk |65 68. Dorset |65 69. Northamptonshire |65 70. Rochdale |64 71. Tameside |64 72. Richmond upon Thames |63 73. Bolton |63 74. Solihull |63 75. Gateshead |62 76. Durham |62 77. Essex |62 78. Wolverhampton |62 79. Birmingham |62 80. Humberside |61 81. Cleveland |61 82. Sheffield |61 83. Waltham Forest |61 84. Leeds |60 85. South Tyneside |59 86. Oldham |59 87. Walsall |58 88. Newcastle upon Tyne |58 89. Sandwell |57 90. Doncaster |56 91. Salford |56 92. Barnsley |55 93. Wakefield |55 94. Sunderland |54 95. Knowsley |54 96. Barking |49
Table C Distribution of local education authorities by age participation rate 17-year-olds (1989-90): Full-time education |Per cent. -----------------------------------------------Name of LEA 1. Harrow |64 2. Brent |60 3. Barnet |56 4. Surrey |53 5. Ealing |52 6. Buckinghamshire |49 7. Richmond UT |47 8. Kingston UT |47 9. Sutton |47 10. Redbridge |46 11. Isle of Wight |45 12. Sefton |45 13. Bury |44 14. Hertfordshire |44 15. Berkshire |44 16. West Sussex |43 17. North Yorkshire |43 18. Bromley |43 19. Haringey |43 20. Hounslow |43 21. Enfield |43 22. Hampshire |43 23. East Sussex |42 24. Croydon |42 25. Cheshire |41 26. Cornwall |41 27. North Tyneside |41 28. Somerset |41 29. Calderdale |41 30. Oxfordshire |40 31. Cambridgeshire |40 32. Warwickshire |40 33. Hereford and Worcester |40 34. Wirral |40 35. Lincolnshire |40 36. Avon |39 37. Solihull |39 38. Stockport |39 39. Devon |39 40. Gloucestershire |39 41. Dorset |39 42. Kirklees |38 43. Hillingdon |38 44. ILEA |38 45. Merton |38 46. Bedfordshire |38 47. Wigan |38 48. Wiltshire |37 49. Kent |37 50. Salop |37 51. Leicestershire |37 52. Lancashire |37 53. Derbyshire |36 54. St. Helens |36 55. Northumberland |36 56. Trafford |36 57. Birmingham |36 58. Dudley |35 59. Northamptonshire |35 60. Manchester |35 61. Essex |34 62. Waltham Forest |34 63. Liverpool |34 64. Rotherham |34 65. Bexley |33 66. Staffordshire |33 67. Norfolk |33 68. Nottinghamshire |33 69. Durham |33 70. Bolton |33 71. Cleveland |33 72. Havering |32 73. Sheffield |32 74. Leeds |32 75. Wakefield |32 76. Suffolk |31 77. Tameside |31 78. Newcastle UT |31 79. Newham |30 80. Bradford |30 81. Walsall |30 82. Coventry |30 83. South Tyneside |30 84. Cumbria |30 85. Barnsley |30 86. Wolverhampton |29 87. Rochdale |29 88. Doncaster |29 89. Gateshead |29 90. Humberside |29 91. Salford |29 92. Sunderland |27 93. Sandwell |26 94. Oldham |26 95. Knowsley |22 96. Barking |19
Table D Distribution of local education authorities by age participation rate 17-year-olds (1989-90): Full-time plus part-time day education |Per cent. ------------------------------------------------Name of LEA 1. Brent |78 2. Harrow |75 3. Isle of Wight |67 4. Surrey |67 5. Ealing |65 6. Barnet |63 7. Buckinghamshire |63 8. Bury |62 9. St. Helens |61 10. Gloucestershire |61 11. Sutton |60 12. Wigan |60 13. Somerset |59 14. North Yorkshire |58 15. Cheshire |58 16. Hertfordshire |58 17. Cornwall |58 18. Warwickshire |58 19. Hampshire |57 20. Berkshire |57 21. North Tyneside |57 22. Oxfordshire |57 23. Redbridge |57 24. Lincolnshire |56 25. Bedfordshire |56 26. Devon |56 27. Avon |56 28. Hereford and Worcester |56 29. Calderdale |56 30. West Sussex |56 31. Kingston upon Thames |56 32. Shropshire |56 33. East Sussex |55 34. Enfield |55 35. Cambridgeshire |55 36. Haringey |55 37. Trafford |55 38. Sefton |55 39. Lancashire |54 40. Richmond upon Thames |54 41. Hounslow |54 42. Bromley |54 43. Stockport |54 44. Nottinghamshire |54 45. Wirral |53 46. Kirklees |53 47. Wiltshire |53 48. Northumberland |53 49. Rotherham |53 50. Croydon |53 51. Dudley |53 52. Leicestershire |52 53. Bolton |52 54. Solihull |52 55. Staffordshire |52 56. Cumbria |52 57. Derbyshire |52 58. Hillingdon |51 59. Tameside |51 60. Merton |51 61. Dorset |50 62. Kent |50 63. South Tyneside |50 64. Birmingham |49 65. Coventry |49 66. Manchester |49 67. Suffolk |49 68. Northamptonshire |49 69. Norfolk |48 70. Bradford |48 71. Cleveland |48 72. Durham |48 73. Rochdale |48 74. Sheffield |48 75. ILEA |47 76. Newham |47 77. Liverpool |46 78. Humberside |46 79. Oldham |46 80. Wolverhampton |46 81. Essex |45 82. Bexley |45 83. Leeds |45 84. Doncaster |45 85. Havering |45 86. Walsall |45 87. Newcastle UT |44 88. Waltham Forest |44 89. Barnsley |42 90. Gateshead |42 91. Salford |42 92. Sandwell |41 93. Wakefield |41 94. Sunderland |39 95. Knowsley |38 96. Barking |33
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Infant Education
26. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the treatment of voluntary aided schools with respect to nursery provision.
Mr. Eggar : Where the governors of a voluntary aided school wish to establish a new nursery unit, they must publish statutory proposals under section 13 of the Education Act 1980. In considering whether these should be approved, the Secretary of State will take into account the circumstances and needs of the school and its surrounding area and the level of grant aid being sought.
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will introduce legislation imposing a statutory duty upon local education authorities to provide for the education of all children to begin in the autumn term of the school year in which they attain their fifth birthday ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : No. This country is almost alone in providing compulsory education from as early as five. We believe that the requirements of younger children and their parents are best met by a diversity of provision.
Middle Schools (National Curriculum)
28. Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements he has made to monitor the implementation of the national curriculum in middle schools.
Mr. Eggar : The implementation of the national curriculum in middle schools is being monitored by Her Majesty's inspectorate and by local education authorities.
Schools Expenditure
Mr. Butcher : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list all local education authorities in England in rank order of central administration expenditure per school pupil per year, starting with the highest spending authority, for the latest year for which figures are available ;
(2) if he will list all local education authorities in England in rank order of total combined expenditure per school pupil per year on school meals, central administration, debt charges or revenue contributions to capital outlay, for the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Fallon : The data for 1991-92, drawn from local education authorities' budget statements published under section 42 of the Education Reform Act 1988, are still being collected and analysed. I shall write to my hon. Friend.
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