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Minor Works Grant
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of householders who became ineligible for a minor works grant with the introduction of the community charge general reduction of £140.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : This information is not held centrally.
Public Rights of Way
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he proposes to apply the principles of the citizens charter to the way the Welsh Office handles opposed public path orders and definitive map modification orders.
Mr. David Hunt : All orders handled by my Department are subject to the procedures set out in the relevant legislation. Existing procedures are in keeping with the principles of the citizens charter.
Health "Customers"
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance or advice he or his officials have given to health authorities and national health service units in Wales regarding the use of the term "customer" in publicity, information to the public, education and training work and in official or internal documents and letters.
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Mr. Nicholas Bennett : No specific guidance or advice has been given by the Welsh Office to health authorities and NHS units in Wales on the term "customer". The term is used within the NHS to describe those who come into contact with, or work for, the NHS.
Service Contracts
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the latest available figures showing (a) the total number of bought -in service contracts and (b) the number of bought-in service contracts completed with firms issued in Wales by (i) each executive body, (ii) each advisory body and (iii) each tribunal operational in Wales ; and if he will publish a breakdown in the categories of (1) legal advice, (2) accounting, (3) auditing, (4) business plans, (5) market research, (6) management advice, (7) public relations advice and communications in general, (8) time and motion studies and (9) opinion polling.
Mr. David Hunt : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue guidelines to (a) all executive bodies, (b) all advisory bodies, (c) all tribunals and (d) all health authorities operational in Wales, encouraging them to give priority to firms based in Wales when fixing contracts or seeking advice, where they are legally entitled to do so, and where there is no significant additional cost in so doing.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : No. Such guidelines would contravene the United Kingdom's international obligations under the treaty of Rome and the general agreement on tariffs and trade.
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Welsh World Trade Centre (Grant)
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the urban development grant payments (a) already made and (b) still to be made to the Welsh world trade centre, Cardiff and the conditions requiring to be met before eligibility for further urban development grant payments can be established.
Mr. David Hunt : Under the urban development grant agreement between Cardiff city council and Brent Walker Group plc, £2.5 million has been paid to Brent Walker and £750,000 remains to be paid. A total of 75 per cent. of the payments are funded by the Welsh Office. For the remainder of the payments to be made, Brent Walker would need to satisfy the city council that the terms of the legal agreement between them have been met.
Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he is making for informing Welsh local authorities of their standard spending assessments.
Mr. David Hunt : My officials have today written to Welsh authorities, advising them of their provisional SSAs. I am placing a copy of that letter in the Library of the House. Final figures will be contained in the distribution report which I plan to lay before the House after the Christmas recess.
Rural Initiative
Mr. Gwilyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library the document he intends to publish on the rural initiative.
Mr. David Hunt : I have today published a document setting out my proposals for developing the rural initiative in Wales. A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library of the House.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Poll Tax
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidelines on the need to establish consistency and equivalence of impact in judgments in poll tax cases.
Mr. John Patten : It is not for Ministers to issue guidelines on how the courts should exercise their judicial discretion.
Terrorist Suspects
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how often suspects detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act in England and Wales requested access to a solicitor and how often such access was deferred in each month over the past five years.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The available information is as follows : of 253 suspects detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 in England
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and Wales between 22 March 1989 and 11 November 1990, 125 requested access to legal advice, and delay of access to legal advice was authorised in 66 cases. In 30 of the 66 cases in which delay was authorised, the suspect had not however requested access to legal advice.Private Security Industry
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations he has received about the need to regulate the private security industry ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what consideration he has given to the introduction of a statutory licensing system for the private security industry ; (3) what consideration he has given to the introduction of compulsory self-regulation for the private security industry ; (4) what views have been expressed to him by the private security industry about regulation.
Mr. John Patten : Following the receipt of a number of representations to my right hon. Friend expressing concern at the lack of regulation of the private security industry, a working group was set up in 1989 which later that year produced a report recommending ways in which the regulation of the industry could be improved.
We subsequently considered a range of options for improving the regulation of the private security industry which goes wider than those considered by the working group. We will make a statement in due course covering all the relevant issues.
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about the number of private security firms operating in England and Wales which are not members of the British Security Industry Association.
Mr. John Patten : Such information is not held centrally.
Correspondence
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Hammersmith dated 11 September 1991, Home Office reference F148287/2.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : A reply will shortly be sent to the hon. Member.
Metropolitan Police
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police officers in the Metropolitan force are currently the subject of complaints investigation procedures ; and how many of those officers are based in the GN or GH divisions of 2 area ;
(2) how many police officers in the Metropolitan force have been advised, reprimanded, dismissed or faced criminal prosecution in the past 12 months as a result of complaints investigations being carried out ; how many of those officers come from area 2 of that force ; and how many of those officers are based in the GN or GH divisions of that area ;
(3) how many police officers in the Metropolitan force have been suspended in the past 12 months as a result of
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complaints investigations being carried out ; what the total cost of the wages paid to them in that period is ; how many of those officers come from area 2 of that force ; and how many of those officers are based in the GN or GH divisions of that area.Mr. Peter Lloyd : These are matters for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
Hepatitis B (Prisons)
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have contracted hepatitis B while in prison ; and how many prisoners have died from hepatitis B (a) in prison and (b) following release in each of the last five years.
Mrs. Rumbold : The number of reported cases of acute hepatitis B infectition among prisoners in England and Wales for each of the last five statistical years--April to March--is :
|Number
----------------------
1986-87 |150
1987-88 |155
1988-89 |105
1989-90 |56
1990-91 |20
From the available statistical information it is not possible to presume how many of these prisoners became infected in prison. No prisoner died from hepatitis B infection in the five-year period. Statistical information about deaths after release from prison custody is not collected.
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were immunised against hepatitis B while in prison in each of the last five years.
Mrs. Rumbold : I regret that this information is not available in statistical form and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the prison medical service offers immunisation against hepatitis B.
Mrs. Rumbold : Yes. Prison medical officers are recommended to offer vaccination to those prisoners who are identified as belonging to a high- risk behaviour group and who are expected to remain in the prison system long enough to complete the six-month course.
Mr. Ian Borovikov
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Mr. Ian Borovikov (XC1225), currently in Her Majesty's prison, Pentonville, completed his sentence ; when he expects to make a decision regarding his deportation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Mr. Borovikov completed his sentence on 16 August and he has since been detained by virtue of Winchester Crown court's recommendation on 31 July 1991 that he be deported. Mr. Borovikov's appeal against his conviction was dismissed on 28 November but he has until 16 December to renew his application. No decision will be taken about his deportation until the final outcome of his appeal is known.
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Police Statistics
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in rank order for each (i) police authority, (ii) county police authority in England, including average figures, (a) the number of police officers per 1,000 of the population and (b) the amount spent on the police per person.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is set out in the following tables, for the most recent year for which actual outturn information is available.
|Expenditure
|per head of
|population
|1990-91
Police authority |£
-----------------------------------------------------------
City of London |9,724.24
Metropolitan police |174.33
Merseyside |112.91
Cleveland<1> |97.28
West Yorkshire |93.58
Greater Manchester |91.75
West Midlands |90.64
Northumbria |89.32
Cumbria<1> |85.91
Humberside<1> |82.95
Lancashire<1> |81.08
Surrey<1> |80.61
Warwickshire<1> |80.42
Dorset<1> |78.77
Gloucestershire<1> |78.76
South Yorkshire |78.49
Avon and Somerset |78.11
Nottinghamshire<1> |77.82
Leicestershire<1> |76.88
Durham<1> |76.15
Staffordshire<1> |75.07
Wiltshire<1> |74.25
Thames Valley |73.57
Essex<1> |73.42
Lincolnshire<1> |73.20
Kent<1> |72.88
Northamptonshire<1> |72.35
Hertfordshire<1> |71.82
Devon and Cornwall |71.64
Suffolk<1> |69.85
West Mercia |69.11
Sussex |68.89
Hampshire |68.44
North Yorkshire<1> |68.03
Cheshire<1> |67.08
Bedfordshire<1> |67.06
Derbyshire<1> |66.47
Cambridgeshire<1> |65.43
Norfolk<1> |64.96
Total average |94.41
Average (excluding city) |93.61
County average |74.81
<1>County police authority.
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|Police officers
|per 1,000
|population
Police authority |1990-91
City of London |202.1
Metropolitan police |3.9
Merseyside |3.3
Cleveland<1> |2.7
Greater Manchester |2.7
West Midlands |2.6
West Yorkshire |2.6
Northumbria |2.5
Cumbria<1> |2.4
Humberside<1> |2.3
South Yorkshire |2.3
Nottinghamshire<1> |2.3
Lancashire<1> |2.3
Durham<1> |2.3
Surrey<1> |2.2
Gloucestershire<1> |2.2
Avon and Somerset |2.2
Staffordshire<1> |2.1
Sussex |2.1
Warwickshire<1> |2.1
Lincolnshire<1> |2.0
Leicestershire<1> |2.0
Bedfordshire<1> |2.0
Hertfordshire<1> |2.0
Kent<1> |2.0
Cheshire<1> |2.0
Northamptonshire<1> |2.0
Wiltshire<1> |2.0
Essex<1> |2.0
North Yorkshire<1> |1.9
Dorset<1> |1.9
Derbyshire<1> |1.9
Devon and Cornwall |1.9
Hampshire |1.9
Norfolk<1> |1.9
West Mercia |1.9
Suffolk<1> |1.9
Thames Valley |1.9
Cambridgeshire<1>
Total average |2.5
Average (excluding city) |2.5
County average |2.1
<1>County police authority.
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in rank order for each (i) police authority (ii) county police authority in England, including average figures, the increase in spending on the police per person since 1979.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is as follows.
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Expenditure per head of population
Percentage Increase 1978-79 to 1990-91
Police Authority |Cash Increase |Real Terms<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 City of London |423.4 |106.4
2 Warwickshire<2> |381.6 |90.0
3 Essex<2> |365.8
4 Thames Valley |362.6 |82.5
5 Metropolitan Police |342.6 |74.6
6 Cleveland<2> |339.0 |73.2
7 West Yorkshire |338.5 |73.0
8 West Midlands |338.1 |72.8
9 Cumbria<2> |335.9 |71.9
10 Dorset<2> |331.5 |70.2
11 Gloucestershire<2> |330.0 |69.6
12 Wiltshire<2> |328.2 |68.9
13 Northumbria |323.2 |66.9
14 Merseyside |322.5 |66.6
15 South Yorkshire |318.3 |65.0
16 Northamptonshire<2> |316.2 |64.2
17 Surrey<2> |310.8 |62.0
18 West Mercia |309.4 |61.5
19 Leicestershire<2> |309.3 |61.4
20 Staffordshire<2> |308.3 |61.1
21 Lancashire<2> |304.1 |59.4
22 Greater Manchester |297.8 |56.9
23 Avon and Somerset |296.4 |56.4
24 Norfolk<2> |294.5 |55.6
25 Hampshire |292.1 |54.7
26 Hertfordshire<2> |291.4 |54.4
27 Kent<2> |290.4 |54.0
28 Devon and Cornwall |286.2 |52.3
29 Humberside<2> |285.6 |52.1
30 Cheshire<2> |282.5 |50.9
31 Nottinghamshire<2> |282.5 |50.9
32 Suffolk<2> |274.3 |47.6
33 Cambridgeshire<2> |266.4 |44.5
34 Durham<2> |259.1 |41.6
35 North Yorkshire<2> |258.7 |41.5
36 Derbyshire<2> |258.1 |41.2
37 Bedfordshire<2> |256.8 |40.7
38 Sussex |252.2 |38.9
39 Lincolnshire<2> |226.9 |28.9
|------- |-------
Total Average |311.2 |62.2
County Average |297.7 |56.9
<1> Using GDP Deflator
<2> County Police Authority
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each (i) police authority and (ii) county police authority in England, including average figures, (a) the standard spending assessment for police expenditure, (b) police spending and (c) the percentage difference, ranking by (c) .
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is set out in the table, for the most recent year for which actual outturn information is available.
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Police authority |1990-91 |1990-91 |Percentage
|police stan- |comparable |over and
|dard spending |expenditure |under SSA
|assessment
|£000<2> |£000<3>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Dorset<1> |20,801 |25,171 |21.0
2. Cambridgeshire<1> |19,824 |23,540 |18.7
3. Wiltshire<1> |17,954 |20,519 |14.3
4. City of London |17,983 |20,345 |13.1
5. Warwickshire<1> |16,415 |18,284 |11.4
6. Northamptonshire<1> |18,550 |20,522 |10.6
7. Kent<1> |51,544 |56,143 |8.9
8. Cumbria<1> |19,129 |20,741 |8.4
9. Suffolk<1> |19,626 |21,206 |8.1
10. Leicestershire<1> |29,124 |31,388 |7.8
11. Norfolk<1> |22,538 |24,219 |7.5
12. Avon and Somerset |50,802 |54,455 |7.2
13. Lincolnshire<1> |19,576 |20,921 |6.9
14. West Yorkshire |86,473 |92,221 |6.6
15. Humberside<1> |32,963 |34,869 |5.8
16. West Mercia |32,946 |34,774 |5.5
17. Devon and Cornwall |47,032 |49,408 |5.1
18. Merseyside |76,806 |80,372 |4.6
19. Essex<1> |49,255 |51,402 |4.4
20. Derbyshire<1> |29,670 |30,949 |4.3
21. West Midlands |112,329 |117,074 |4.2
22. Cleveland<1> |24,640 |25,446 |3.3
23. Greater Manchester |114,059 |117,609 |3.1
24. Staffordshire<1> |36,207 |36,910 |1.9
25. Hampshire |54,289 |55,246 |1.8
26. Durham<1> |22,753 |23,111 |1.6
27. Northumbria |58,132 |58,734 |1.0
28. Thames Valley |63,248 |63,804 |0.9
29. Hertfordshire<1> |29,917 |29,928 |0.0
30. North Yorkshire<1> |22,886 |22,823 |-0.3
31. Cheshire<1> |30,911 |30,807 |-0.3
32. South Yorkshire |48,861 |48,659 |-0.4
33. Gloucestershire<1> |19,262 |19,120 |-0.7
34. Lancashire<1> |52,506 |51,708 |-1.5
35. Bedfordshire<1> |18,039 |17,673 |-2.0
36. Nottinghamshire<1> |38,358 |37,083 |-3.3
37. Metropolitan Police |632,132 |604,512 |-4.4
38. Sussex |50,825 |46,886 |-7.8
39. Surrey<1> |30,103 |27,668 |-8.1
Total average |54,833 |55,545 |1.3
County average |27,702 |28,886 |4.3
<1> County police authority.
<2> Standard level of expenditure on the police after specific grant has been deducted.
<3> Includes element of authorities' expenditure on unallocated contingencies, residuary
body levies (where appropriate) and other adjustments.
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in rank order for each (i) police authority and (ii) county police authority in England, including average figures, the percentage increase in spending on the police since 1979.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is set out in the table.
Total expenditure
Percentage increase
1978-79 to 1990-91
Police authority |Cash |Real
|increase |terms<2>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Thames Valley |427.9 |108.2
2 Essex<1> |399.2 |96.9
3 Warwickshire<1> |395.1 |95.3
4 Dorset<1> |384.3 |91.0
5 Northamptonshire<1> |367.6 |84.4
6 Wiltshire<1> |366.1 |83.8
7 Gloucestershire<1> |361.3 |81.9
8 Cumbria<1> |354.1 |79.1
9 West Mercia |353.5 |78.9
10 Leicestershire<1> |340.9 |73.9
11 West Yorkshire |339.0 |73.1
12 Norfolk<1> |335.6 |71.8
13 Metropolitan Police |334.6 |71.4
14 Cambridgeshire<1> |327.0 |68.4
15 Cleveland<1> |326.6 |68.3
16 Staffordshire<1> |326.3 |68.1
17 Devon and Cornwall |323.9 |67.2
18 Surrey<1> |322.7 |66.7
19 West Midlands |322.4 |66.6
20 Avon and Somerset |321.4 |66.2
21 Hampshire |319.4 |65.4
22 Northumbria |316.7 |64.3
23 South Yorkshire |315.8 |64.0
24 Lancashire<1> |311.7 |62.4
25 Kent<1> |311.0 |62.1
26 Hertfordshire<1> |310.5 |61.9
27 Suffolk<1> |306.6 |60.4
28 Nottinghamshire<1> |299.3 |57.5
29 Cheshire<1> |298.8 |57.3
30 Merseyside |294.6 |55.7
31 North Yorkshire<1> |294.0 |55.4
32 Humberside<1> |292.1 |54.6
33 Sussex |288.1 |53.1
34 Greater Manchester |286.9 |52.6
35 Bedfordshire<1> |286.2 |52.3
36 Derbyshire<1> |272.8 |47.0
37 City of London |269.1 |45.6
38 Lincolnshire<1> |264.6 |43.8
39 Durham<1> |256.5 |40.6
|--- |---
Total average |324.4 |67.4
County average |321.2 |66.1
<1>County Police Authority.
<2>Using GDP Deflator.
Alleged Police Assaults
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Metropolitan police commissioner regarding the number of complaints he has received of alleged assault in each of the following police stations : (a) Dalston E8, (b) Carter
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street SE17, (c) Fulham SW6, (d) Hammersmith W6 and (e) Stoke Newington N16 ; and what has been the outcome in each case.Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. These are matters for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Police Complaints Authority regarding the number of complaints it has received of alleged assault at each of the following police stations : (a) Dalston E8, (b) Carter street SE17, (c) Fulham SW6, (d) Hammersmith W6 and (e) Stoke Newington N16 ; and what has been the outcome in each case.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. This is a matter for the Police Complaints Authority and it would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to call formally for a report from it on its supervision or review of specific complaints.
Data Protection Registrar
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to require the Data Protection Registrar to allow any group or organisation to register either (a) using a Welsh language title or (b) through the Welsh language.
Mrs. Rumbold : Enforcement of the Data Protection Act 1984 is a matter for the registrar and ultimately for the Data Protection Tribunal and the courts. I understand, however, that the registrar has for some years provided a Welsh version of the registration application form and associated booklet. An organisation with a Welsh title may register in this form.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to ensure that the Data Protection Registrar responds to all correspondence in Welsh to his Department by replying in the Welsh language, or, at least, bilingually in Welsh and English.
Mrs. Rumbold : Enforcement of the Data Protection Act 1984 is a matter for the registrar and ultimately the Data Protection Tribunal and the courts. I understand, however, that the language in which the registrar replies to correspondence in Welsh is currently the subject of correspondence between him and the Welsh Language Board.
Police Batons
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the introduction of the side-handled baton as a means of providing enhanced protection for police officers.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We should be prepared to consider arranging for a scientific evaluation of any equipment which might assist in public order control if chief officers requested it. I understand that chief officers have no wish to bring the side-handled baton into use.
Electoral Registration
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place the public opinion survey carried out by his Department, entitled "Post Campaign Research for Electoral Registration Advertising", in the Library.
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Mrs. Rumbold : The findings of research into the effectiveness of this year's advertising campaign on electoral registration are not yet available. I shall arrange for a copy of the report to be placed in the Library early in the new year.
Prison Escapes
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what attempts Nicholas Mullen is known to have made, or been involved in, to escape from prison prior to his recent attempt to escape from Full Sutton prison ;
(2) if he will make a statement on the recent attempted escape from Full Sutton prison by Nicholas Mullen and others and on the circumstances which led to its discovery.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : As a result of security intelligence, cell searches made at Her Majesty's prison Full Sutton on 24 November led to the discovery of a quantity of escape equipment. Appropriate security and other action has been taken by the governor. It is not the practice to disclose detailed security information about arrangements at the prison or in relation to individual inmates.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have now been taken to court and convicted for non-payment of the poll tax in England and Wales ; how many have received prison sentences ; how many have turned up in court to argue their cases ; how many hours of court time have been involved and, based on the average cost per hour of a magistrates court, at what cost to public funds.
Mr. John Patten [pursuant to his reply, 22 November 1991, col. 329] : During the period 1 April 1990 to 30 September 1991 195,480 people in England and Wales attended community charge liability hearings.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Pupil Exclusions
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice his Department issues to local education authorities about the number of hours of tuition to be provided for children on permanent or indefinite exclusion from school ; and what assessment he has made of whether such children are receiving sufficient tuition to cover the whole of the national curriculum provisions.
Mr. Fallon : The Department does not issue guidance about the number of hours of tuition to be provided for children excluded from school. That is a matter for local education authorities to decide in the light of individual circumstances. It is the responsibility of the head teacher, the governing body and the local education authority to secure the provision of the full national curriculum to all pupils of compulsory school age registered at maintained schools, save to the extent that they may have been statutorily excepted from some part of it.
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Science Research Fellowships
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has concerning science research fellowships offered (a) by United Kingdom companies and (b) to United Kingdom residents by overseas companies ; and if he will make a statement on the support offered by British industry and to scientific research in educational establishments.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The Department does not collect this information. We do, however, welcome support for scientific research from both United Kingdom businesses and overseas companies with a base in the United Kingdom.
School Meals
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average subsidy paid by both local government and Her Majesty's Government for each paid school meal.
Mr. Fallon : This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children are on the school roll in England and Wales ; and how many of those receive free school meals in primary, secondary and special schools, respectively.
Mr. Fallon : A table showing provisional figures for the number of children on roll in maintained primary, secondary and special schools in England in January 1991 and, of those, the number receiving free school meals on the census date follows. Information on schools in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
|Pupils on roll|Free Meals
---------------------------------------------------------------
Primary Schools |4,099,607 |562,993
Secondary Schools |2,848,224 |235,107
Special Schools |82,952 |23,273
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much it would cost to extend the provision of free school meals beyond children of families in receipt of income support to children of families in receipt of family credit.
Mr. Fallon : Family credit rates already include an allowance towards school costs. As the cost of a school meal is not fixed it is impossible to calculate the figure requested.
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much it would cost to make free school meals available to all, assuming the current take-up rate of 75 per cent.; and what increase in the education budgets of both central and local expenditure this would represent.
Mr. Fallon : Provision of school meals and the level of charges for them are matters for local education authorities. In 1989-90 local education authorities in England collected some £296 million of income from customers as payment for school meals and milk. That represents some 1.9 per cent. of their total net recurrent expenditure on education.
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GCSE
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) into how many streams he intends that students for the new GCSE courses should be divided ; by what criteria the students concerned, including new entrants into each new school, are allocated into specific streams ; and whether such allocation will be made by (a) school authorities, (b) parents of each student or (c) the students themselves ;
(2) what extra resources will be made available by the Government to the local education authority in Devon in 1991 to enable separate streams of students in each GCSE to be instructed properly ; how the need for such resources has been calculated, and upon what assumptions ; and what specific provision has been made for streaming in small secondary schools.
Mr. Eggar : School organisation and the allocation of resources are matters for the schools and local education authorities themselves to decide.
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what time interval he has allowed in his calculations for ordering and delivery of the necessary books and teaching aids by schools between the publication of the new GCSE syllabi and the commencement of the autumn terms of secondary schools in 1992.
Mr. Eggar : Syllabuses in the core subjects are expected to be in schools by April 1992. This should allow sufficient time for the ordering of those materials needed by the start of the autumn term, especially given that schools already have information on the curriculum and that not all books and aids are required from the start of the two-year GCSE courses.
Elmbridge Road School, Gloucester
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he received an application for Gloucestershire education authority for an allocation of capital funds for Elmbridge road infants school, Gloucester, on the grounds of exceptional need ; and what action he proposes to take.
Mr. Fallon : Following my reply of 3 October to the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mr. French), Gloucestershire submitted a request on 8 November for the proposed building work at Elmbridge county infants school to be considered as exceptional basic need in the allocation of annual capital guidelines for education (ACGs) for 1992-93. This is being considered in the light of bids from all local education authorities and of the resources available.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received regarding conditions at Elmbridge road infants school, Gloucester ; and what action he proposes to take.
Mr. Fallon : Seven letters about conditions at Elmbridge county infants school have been received from the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mr. French), as well as a petition from parents of children at the school. It is for the local education authority to decide the allocation of resources for building work at its schools.
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