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Mr. Maclean : Information for 1992, which is provisional, is given in the table. 1993 data will not be available until autumn 1994.
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Number of 15, 16 and 17 to under 21-year-olds sentenced to immediate custody by type of court, type of sentence and month England and Wales1992<1> Type of court/type |January |February |March |April |May |June |July |August |September |October |November |December |Total of offence --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15-year-olds Magistrates courts Indictable |37 |39 |37 |31 |27 |44 |27 |27 |34 |20 |24 |20 |367 Summary non-motoring 7 15 4 12 10 6 6 5 4 3 9 - 81 All offences<2> |44 |54 |41 |43 |37 |50 |33 |32 |38 |23 |33 |20 |448 The Crown court Indictable |5 |5 |4 |6 |14 |5 |6 |3 |3 |9 |5 |5 |70 All offences<2> |5 |5 |4 |6 |14 |5 |6 |3 |3 |9 |5 |5 |70 All courts Indictable |42 |44 |41 |37 |41 |49 |33 |30 |37 |29 |29 |25 |437 Summary non-motoring 7 15 4 12 10 6 6 5 4 3 9 - 81 All offences<2> |49 |59 |45 |49 |51 |55 |39 |35 |41 |32 |38 |25 |518 16-year-olds Magistrates courts Indictable |57 |54 |71 |56 |47 |53 |63 |49 |56 |48 |39 |60 |653 Summary non-motoring 12 14 16 17 15 20 11 10 8 9 7 3 142 All offences<2> |69 |68 |87 |73 |62 |73 |74 |59 |64 |57 |46 |63 |795 The Crown court Indictable |14 |14 |17 |20 |21 |13 |23 |15 |22 |8 |9 |7 |183 Summary non-motoring - - - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 All offences<2> |14 |14 |17 |20 |21 |13 |24 |15 |22 |8 |9 |7 |184 All courts Indictable |71 |68 |88 |76 |68 |66 |86 |64 |78 |56 |48 |67 |836 Summary non-motoring 12 14 16 17 15 20 12 10 8 9 7 3 143 All offences<2> |83 |82 |104 |93 |83 |86 |98 |74 |86 |65 |55 |70 |979 17-20-year-olds Magistrates courts Indictable |313 |305 |317 |299 |262 |245 |280 |260 |213 |142 |201 |200 |3,037 Summary non-motoring 140 115 139 88 77 101 98 91 88 50 58 67 1,112 All offences<2> |453 |420 |456 |387 |339 |346 |378 |351 |341 |192 |259 |267 |4,149 The Crown court Indictable |828 |752 |832 |708 |686 |680 |886 |553 |645 |586 |565 |469 |8,190 Summary non-motoring 21 13 24 17 10 19 36 20 17 14 12 10 213 All offences<2> |849 |765 |856 |725 |696 |699 |922 |573 |662 |600 |577 |479 |8,403 All courts Indictable |1,141 |1,057 |1,149 |1,007 |948 |925 |1,166 |813 |858 |728 |766 |669 |11,227 Summary non-motoring 161 128 163 105 87 120 134 111 105 64 70 77 1,325 All offences<2> |1,302 |1,185 |1,312 |1,112 |1,035 |1,045 |1,300 |924 |963 |792 |836 |746 |12,552 All ages Magistrates courts Indictable |1,341 |1,172 |1,255 |1,157 |975 |1,040 |1,067 |1,017 |1,035 |483 |609 |645 |11,796 Summary non-motoring 438 359 380 314 266 336 322 300 277 143 187 164 3,486 All offences<2> |1,779 |1,531 |1,635 |1,471 |1,241 |1,376 |1,389 |1,317 |1,312 |626 |796 |809 |15,282 The Crown court Indictable |3,622 |3,412 |3,742 |3,000 |2,960 |3,202 |3,637 |2,468 |2,889 |2,273 |2,538 |2,210 |35,953 Summary non-motoring 79 54 68 52 41 52 68 43 50 36 30 34 607 All courts Indictable |4,963 |4,584 |4,997 |4,157 |3,935 |4,242 |4,704 |3,485 |3,924 |2,756 |3,147 |2,855 |47,749 Summary non-motoring 517 413 448 366 307 388 390 343 327 179 217 198 4,093 <1>Provisional. <2>Excluding summary motoring. Note: For summary motoring offences five 15-year-olds were sentenced to immediate custody in 1992, 23 16-year-olds, 769 17-20 year-olds and a total of 5,698 for all ages.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many 15-year-olds have been (a) remanded in custody and (b) sentenced to custodial terms, in 1993 to the latest date available ; and, of these, how many were male and how many were female ;
(2) how many 15-year-olds were (a) remanded in custody and (b) sentenced to custodial terms in 1992 ; and of these, how many were male and how many were female.
Mr. Maclean [holding answers 19 October 1993] : Information for 1992, which is provisional, is given in the table. 1993 data will not be available until autumn 1994.
Remand and custodial data for 15-year-olds by gender 1992<1>
England and Wales
|Males |Females
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Receptions on remand into prison service
establishments |376 |-
Sentenced to immediate custody |519 |4
<1>Provisional
Ms Ruddock To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) of those 15-year-olds (a) remanded into custody and (b) sentenced to custody in 1992, how many faced charges of committing or attempting to commit the offences of (i) theft, (ii) handling, (iii) deception and fraud, (iv) burglary, (v) taking without consent, (vi) allowing to be carried, (vii) aggravated vehicle taking, (viii) motor vehicle interference, (ix) criminal damage, (x) common assault and actual bodily
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harm, (xi) sexual offences, (xii) other offences of violence against the person, (xiii) possession of drugs, (xiv) possession with intent to supply drugs or (xv) other offences ; and how many of the 15-year-olds in each case were (1) male and (2) female ;(2) how many 15-year-olds (a) remanded into custody and (b) sentenced to custody in 1993 to the latest date available faced charges of committing or attempting to commit the offences of (i) theft, (ii) handling, (iii) deception and fraud, (iv) burglary, (v) taking without consent, (vi) allowing to be carried, (vii) aggravated vehicle taking, (viii) motor vehicle interference, (ix) criminal damage, (x) common assault and actual bodily harm, (xi) sexual offences, (xii) other offences of violence against the person, (xiii) possession of drugs, (xiv) possession with intent to supply drugs or (xv) other offences ; and how many of the 15-year-olds in each case were (1) male and (2) female.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 19 October 1993] : The analysis requested of persons remanded is not available centrally because although some information on the use of remands during proceedings is collected, the amount of detail recorded is limited and does not identify separately every individual offence. Moreover the data which are collected are particularly subject to data quality problems. Information for England and Wales in 1992, which is provisional showing the number of 15-year-olds sentenced to immediate custody by offence and sex is given in the table. 1993 data will not be available until the autumn of 1994.
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Persons aged 15 years sentenced to immediate custody by offence and sex-1992<1>
England and Wales
Offence description Magistrates Crown courts All courts
courts
|Males |Females|Persons|Males |Females|Persons|Males |Females|Persons
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aggravated vehicle taking
Causing death by |- |- |- |1 |- |1 |1 |- |1
Other (indictable) |23 |- |23 |1 |- |1 |24 |- |24
Criminal damage of £2,00 or under |1 |- |1 |- |- |- |1 |- |1
Theft of a motor vehicle |7 |- |7 |1 |- |1 |8 |- |8
Unauthorised taking of motor vehicle |65 |- |65 |- |- |- |65 |- |65
Other Theft |22 |- |22 |2 |- |2 |24 |- |24
Handling stolen goods |11 |- |11 |1 |- |1 |12 |- |12
Fraud and Forgery |1 |- |1 |- |- |- |1 |- |1
Burglary |174 |1 |175 |18 |- |18 |192 |1 |193
Causing danger |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Criminal damage
Indictable |16 |- |16 |5 |- |5 |21 |- |21
Summary |8 |- |8 |- |- |- |8 |- |8
Common assault |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Actual bodily harm (ABH) |23 |-23 |4 |- |4 |27 |- |27
Grievous bodily harm (GBH)
Wounding with intent to do GBH etc. |3 |- |3 |2 |- |2 |5 |- |5
Wounding or inflicting GBH with or without weapon |12 |- |12 |3 |- |3 |15 |- |15
Sexual offences |- |1 |1 |2 |- |2 |2 |1 |3
Other violence against the person |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Drugs
Supplying or offering to supply |- |- |- |3 |- |3 |3 |- |3
Possession of a controlled drug |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Possession with intent to supply |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Other drug offences |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Total indictable offences |364 |3 |367 |69 |1 |70 |433 |4 |437
Total summary non-motoring offences |81 |- |81 |- |- |- |81 |- |81
Total summary motoring offences |5 |- |5 |- |- |- |5 |- |5
Total all offences |450 |3 |453 |69 |1 |70 |519 |4 |523
<1>Provisional
West Yorkshire
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next intends to pay an official visit to West Yorkshire.
Mr. Howard : I intend to visit West Yorkshire when my diary permits.
Wrongful Convictions
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken to date in investigating possible wrongful convictions in each of the cases of which notice has been given to him ; and in those cases where a person has already been released, what compensation has been paid.
Mr. Maclean : I will write to the hon. Member.
Prisoners (Court Transfers)
Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for the Metropolitan police area, for the year to 30 June (a) the number of prison movements to and from courts, (b) the number of prisoner escapes from police and Prison Service custody in transit to and from courts, and from custody at court, (c) the number of deaths, including suicides, by prisoners at court or in transit to and from court, (d) the number of assaults on police and prison officers while escorting prisoners to and from courts and (e) the number of prisoners arriving at court more than one hour late.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The information requested is as follows : (a) prison movements to and from magistrates courts--57,213. (b) prisoner escapes--12 from police custody, 5 from Prison Service custody.
(c) deaths--1 suicide.
(d) assaults--56 police officers, 4 prison officers.
(e) Information on the number of prisoners arriving more than one hour late for court is not available centrally.
Rape
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the last five years and for the current year to date (a) the number of
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cases of (i) rape and (ii) attempted rape on males that have been reported and (b) the number of successful convictions that have ensued in (i) and (ii).Mr. Maclean : The available information relates to the number of male offenders cautioned and convicted of acts of non-consensual buggery and is given in the table. Data for 1993 will not be available until autumn 1994.
Male offenders cautioned and convicted at all courts of certain buggery
offences 1988-92
England and Wales Number
Offence/Year |Cautions |Convictions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buggery by a man with a male person of
the age of 16 or over without consent
1988 |n/a |18
1989 |11 |15
1990 |10 |13
1991 |6 |14
1992<1> |6 |15
Attempt to commit buggery with
a male person of the age of 16 or over
without consent
1988 |n/a |5
1989 |n/a |2
1990 |2 |2
1991 |n/a |2
1992<1> |2 |2
<1>Provisional.
n/a = Not available.
Miscarriages of Justice
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when C3 division expects to complete its current investigations into alleged miscarriages of justice ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : In each of the cases of alleged miscarriage of justice currently under consideration, we shall aim to reach a decision as quickly as possible. Some cases may take longer than others to decide, depending upon the nature of the representations and the extent of any police or other inquiries which may need to be made.
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C3 Division
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently employed in his Department's C3 division ; and if he will list each individual employee's qualifications.
Mr. Maclean : A total of 69 staff, of whom 22 are engaged in considering alleged miscarriages of justice, are currently employed in C3 division of the Home Office. All are administrative civil servants in grades up to and including grade 5, having a variety of backgrounds, experience and qualifications.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases C3 division are currently investigating in respect of alleged miscarriages of justice ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : On 30 September 1993 179 cases of alleged miscarriage of justice were under consideration in C3 division of the Home Office.
Mentally Disturbed Patients
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by regional health authority and by year for the last five years and the current
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year to date the number of cases reported of (a) unlawful sexual intercourse with (i) a male and (ii) a female who is a defective under the terms of the Sexual Offences Act 1956, section 7, as amended by the Mental Health Act 1959, section 127, (b) a (i) male and (ii) female member of staff of a hospital or mental nursing home having unlawful sexual intercourse with a patient under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1959, section 128(1) (a) and (c) a (i) male and (ii) female having unlawful sexual intercourse with a mentally disordered patient who is subject to care under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1959, section 128(i) (b) ; and how many successful convictions have ensued in each category listed.Mr. Maclean : The readily available information for England and Wales is provided in the tables.
Information is available only for the numbers prosecuted and those cautioned or found guilty in the courts. These specific offences are not separately identified in the statistics of recorded crime. Statistics on courts proceedings are not available by regional health authority.
The Mental Health Act 1959 refers only to males who have unlawful sexual intercourse with females.
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Persons found guilty or cautioned for specified offences of unlawful sexual intercourse with a mentally disordered person
Numbers found guilty (Cautions given in brackets)
Code |Description |Act |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |<1>1992
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.2 |Man having unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman |Sexual Offences Act 1956 sec 7 as
|who is a defective |amended by the Mental Health Act
|1959 sec 127 |<2>6 | 4(3) | 7(7) | 5(1) | 4(8)
19.3 |Male member of staff of hospital or mental nursing home|Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(a)
|having unlawful sexual intercourse with a female
|patient |1 | 1 | 1(1) | 2(1) | 1
16.5 |Male member of staff of hospital or mental nursing home|Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(a)
|committing buggery or an act of gross indecency with |as amended by Sexual Offences Act
|male patient |1967 sec 1(4) |- | 1 |- | 1 |-
16.6 |Man committing buggery or act of gross indecency with |Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(a)
|mentally disordered male patient who is subject to his |as amended by Sexual Offences Act
|care |1967 sec 1(4) |- |- |- |- | 1
19.4 |Man having unlawful sexual intercourse with mentally |Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(b)
|disordered female patient who is subject to his care |- | 1 |- |- | 1
<1> Provisional date.
<2> Cautions data for 1988 offence sub-classifications is not available.
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Persons prosecuted for specified offences of unlawful sexual intercourse with a mentally disordered person
Numbers prosecuted
Code |Description |Act |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |<1>1992
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.2 |Man having unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman |Sexual Offences Act 1956 sec 7 as
|who is a defective |amended by the Mental Health Act
|1959 sec 127 |9 |7 |4 |8 |14
19.3 |Male member of staff of hospital or mental nursing home|Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(a)
|having unlawful sexual intercourse with a female
|patient |1 |1 |2 |1 |-
16.5 |Male member of staff of hospital or mental nursing home|Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(a)
|committing buggery or an act of gross indecency with |as amended by Sexual Offences Act
|male patient |1967 sec 1(4) |- |- |1 |1 |-
16.6 |Man committing buggery or act of gross indecency with |Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(a)
|mentally disordered male patient who is subject to his |as amended by Sexual Offences Act
|care |1967 sec 1(4) |- |- |- |- |-
19.4 |Man having unlawful sexual intercourse with mentally |Mental Health Act 1959 sec 128(1)(b)
|disordered female patient who is subject to his care |1 |- |1 |2 |1
<1> Provisional data.
Drink Driving
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list significant changes in law, enforcement and sentencing relating to drink driving since 1979.
Mr. Maclean : The Transport Act 1981 introduced evidential breath testing in May 1983.
A "high risk offenders scheme" under which certain categories of drink- drive offenders must demonstrate that they are not alcohol dependent before their licences are restored to them was introduced in 1982 and extended in 1990.
A new offence of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs was introduced in July 1992 under the Road Traffic Act 1991 to strengthen the courts' powers to deal with those drink- drivers who kill. The maximum penalty for this offence was doubled to 10 years' imprisonment in August 1993.
The same 1991 Act also introduced an experimental scheme of rehabilitation courses for those convicted of drink-driving offences, designed to influence the attitudes of such offenders away from alcohol and driving.
The Department of Transport runs at least one major publicity campaign on a drink-drive theme each year and in many years there have been two such campaigns.
Taken together, these measures to which my hon. Friend made a significant contribution as Minister of State, have resulted in a reduction in the estimated number of drink-related fatalities on the roads from 1,550 in 1982 to 610 in 1992.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list as a ratio the number of drink-drive related deaths compared with the number of murder victims in each year from 1979.
Mr. Maclean : The available information on murder relates to the number of offences decided at court to be murder. Figures for the number of deaths in drink-drive accidents have been supplied by the Department of Transport. These figures, and the calculated ratios, are given in the following table.
Offences decided at court to be murder, fatalities in drink-drive
accidents, and the ratio between them, 1979 to 1991
England and Wales
Year |(a) Offences decided|(b) Drink-drive |(b)/(a)
|at court to be |fatalities
|murder
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |160 |1,640 |10.25
1980 |126 |1,450 |11.51
1981 |148 |1,420 |9.59
1982 |160 |1,550 |9.69
1983 |152 |1,110 |7.30
1984 |165 |1,170 |7.09
1985 |167 |1,040 |6.23
1986 |204 |990 |4.85
1987 |198 |900 |4.55
1988 |178 |790 |4.44
1989 |183 |810 |4.43
1990 |179 |760 |4.25
1991 |<1>124 |660 |5.32
<1> At the time these statistics were compiled (September 1992), there were 204 court decisions pending
on offences initially recorded in 1991. On past experience, about 65 further offences will eventually be
decided at court to have been murder.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will estimate the number of crimes (a) excluding and (b) including drink driving in 1979 and in the latest year ;
(2) if he will estimate the number of offences and the proportion detected in 1979 and in the latest available year.
Mr. Maclean : Drink driving is not a notifiable offence and does not form part of the recorded crime series. The available information relating to drink driving is on findings of guilt at all courts for driving or being in charge of a vehicle after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. There were 67,000 findings of guilt in 1979 and 103,800 in 1991, the latest available year.
The information relating to notifiable offences recorded and cleared up by the police is published for 1979 in tables 2.17 and 2.18 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1989" and, for 1992, in table 6 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 9/93 ; copies of both publications are available in the Library.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of fatalities associated with drink driving in 1979 and the latest year.
Mr. Key : It is estimated that in 1992 around 610 people were killed in accidents where a driver or rider was over the legal limit compared with 1,640 in 1979. The way in which these figures were derived is explained in "Road Accidents Great Britain 1992".
West Midlands Police
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the West Midlands chief constable as to how many officers were disciplined as a result of the West Yorkshire inquiry ; what were the offences involved ; and what penalties were imposed.
Mr. Charles Wardle : No. These are matters for the chief constable of the West Midlands.
Police Reform
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had from the Greater Manchester police authority in regard to police reform ; what reply he is sending ; what action he is taking ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Since the White Paper on police reform was published in June, we have received representations from the Greater Manchester police authority in the form of a letter dated 23 September from the clerk to the police authority. A reply was sent on 7 October. The points raised in the letter are being taken into account as work on developing the proposals for police reform proceeds.
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Anti-British National Party Demonstration
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of (a) policing the anti-British National party demonstration in Woolwich and Bexleyheath on 16 October, (b) the overall additional police costs arising out of protecting the BNP and (c) what contribution the BNP will be asked to make towards these additional costs.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and noble Friend the Earl Ferrers will write to the hon. Member.
Police, Plumstead and Greenwich
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations he has received regarding the reduction in the number of police constables in the Plumstead division and the proposed further reduction before the end of this year ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will meet a deputation from the Greenwich police consultative committee to discuss their concerns about reduced policing levels in the Plumstead and Greenwich divisions.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and noble Friend the Earl Ferrers will write to the hon. Member.
Victim Support
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the level of funding for victim support in the current financial year ; and which plan he has to increase this sum ; (2) what is the expected level of funding for victim support in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 21 October 1993] : Home Office grant aid to Victim Support in the current financial year will amount to £8.375 million, an increase of 15 per cent. on last year's grant of £7.26 million.
In November 1991, we informed Victim Support that the increase in funding it would be receiving over the next three years would be £7.3 million, £8.3 million and £8.6 million, respectively. We made it clear that it would need to devise budgets to operate within this level of funding and that there could be no expectation of further increases.
Details of Home Office funding for 1994-95 will be made known as soon as possible.
Young People (Remand)
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many 15-year-old (a) males and (b) females, remanded into custody pending trial or sentence in 1993 to the latest date available, received custodial sentences at the conclusion of their cases ;
(2) how many 15-year-old (a) males and (b) females, remanded into custody pending trial or sentence in 1992, received custodial sentences at the conclusion of their cases.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 19 October 1993] : In 1992, of the 376 persons aged 15, all of whom were male, received into Prison Service establishments on remand, about 120 were recorded as subsequently received under sentence. I regret that information for 1993 is not yet available.
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EDUCATION
Chief Education Officer, Birmingham
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received concerning his remarks about the Birmingham chief education officer ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Patten : I have received a number of letters.
School Numbers
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions since 1 January his Department has declined a local education authority application to reduce standard numbers.
Mr. Robin Squire : Since 1 January my right hon. Friend has declined 43 applications from LEAs to reduce school standard numbers. Over the same period he has approved reductions at 312 schools, of which 215 were approved without modification.
National Curriculum Council
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the costs of relocating and merging the National Curriculum Council and the Schools Examination and Assessment Council.
Mr. Robin Squire : The estimated total cost of establishing the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority and winding up the National Curriculum Council and School Examinations and Assessment Council is £4 million. There will be recurrent savings, estimated at £1 million a year, arising mainly from a reduction of almost 50 in the total number of staff employed and from giving up the NCC's premises in York.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many OFSTED reports on grant-maintained schools have been published ;
(2) how many grant-maintained schools have received OFSTED inspections.
Mr. Robin Squire : The arrangements for inspecting schools under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 are a matter for OFSTED. I have asked Professor Sutherland to write to the hon. Member.
Primary School Teachers
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many comments he has received on his Department's draft circular on the initial training of primary school teachers ; and how many expressed opposition to the circular.
Mr. Robin Squire : My right hon. Friend has received about 4,000 responses to the draft circular on the initial training of primary school teachers, expressing a wide range of views on the various proposals it contains. My right hon. Friend intends to issue a substantive circular later this autumn which will take account of these responses.
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Student Unions
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many comments he has received on his proposals for the reform of student unions ; and how many have expressed their opposition to the proposals.
Mr. Boswell : Since my right hon. Friend announced his proposals for student union reform on 1 July, he has received some 1,265 written representations in response to the consultations on implementation. Comments have also been received in meetings and visits. Many comments have questioned particular aspects of the implementation of the reforms, while passing others in silence ; others have similarly expressed support for particular points and for the principles which underlie the reforms.
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the sum of money that the Further Education Funding Council spent on special educational needs in 1992-93, by local authority area.
Mr. Boswell : The Further Education Funding Council did not assume its responsibilities until 1 April 1993. In 1993-94 the council has allocated the bulk of the funding for provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities as part of colleges' recurrent funding. The allocations represent broadly stable funding and reflect the council's commitment to providing continuity of provision for these students.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to respond to the third report from the Education Select Committee of Session 1992-93 on "Meeting Special Educational Needs : Statements of Needs and Provision".
Mr. Heald : To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to respond to the third report from the Education Select Committee of Session 1992-93 on "Meeting Special Educational Needs : Statements of Needs and Provision".
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend today issued the Government's response to the report "Meeting Special Educational Needs : Statements of Needs and Provision" by the Select Committee on Education. The Government welcome the report. The provisions in the Education Act 1993, including the draft code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs, published today, will improve the framework for special education.
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to consult about a draft code of practice on special educational needs under section 158 of the Education Act 1993.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend is today issuing for consultation a draft of the code of practice on the identification and assessment of children with special educational needs together with drafts of the regulations governing statutory assessments and statements. Copies will be placed in the Library. All maintained schools and local education authorities will have to have regard to the code, as will district health authorities and social services departments when they assist LEAs in their duties towards
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children with special educational needs. The consultation period will last until 14 January. Subject to the approval of Parliament, the code will come into effect in September 1994.Schools Technology Initiative
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications he has received from businesses willing to participate in his schools technology initiative.
Mr. Robin Squire : Schools wishing to become technology colleges under the programe which the Government announced on 27 September will prepare a development plan backed by private sector sponsors. It is not for sponsors to apply direct to the Department for Education. Over 100 schools have already expressed interest in becoming technology colleges. Many of these have identified business sponsors and have begun to prepare their development plans. My right hon. Friend expects to announce in the new year the names of the first group of schools which will begin operating as technology colleges in September 1994.
Student Finance
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has to compensate students in higher education to take account of the imposition of VAT on fuel ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what estimate he has made of the impact on student incomes of the imposition of VAT on fuel ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell : It is my right hon. Friend's policy to review annually the overall level of mandatory support available to students through the basic grant and loan, in the light of forecast cost movements. The rates for the 1994-95 academic year will be announced in due course.
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the annual expenditure on discretionary awards for students attending further education college courses for each of the metropolitan authorities, for each financial year since 1990-91.
Mr. Boswell : Expenditure on discretionary awards for further education by metropolitan authorities for the academic years 1990-91 and 1991-92 is shown in the table. Data for later years are not yet available.
Discretionary awards expenditure for further education in the
metropolitan authorities in 1990-91 and 1991-92
LEA NO |1990-91 Expenditure|1991-92 Expenditure
|(£000) |(£000)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Midlands
Birmingham |922.6 |1,298.6
Coventry |527.4 |558.4
Dudley |455.6 |393.0
Sandwell |496.9 |870.7
Solihull |128.9 |200.6
Walsall |1,450.9 |1,894.3
Wolverhampton |74.6 |34.6
Merseyside
Knowsley |1,046.8 |1,368.8
Liverpool |5,696.6 |4,432.7
St. Helens |530.6 |678.3
Sefton |277.8 |224.4
Wirral |1,453.1 |1,652.9
Greater Manchester
Bolton |536.1 |821.2
Bury |510.2 |642.3
Manchester |0.0 |1,835.6
Oldham |544.3 |459.5
Rochdale |490.2 |741.1
Salford |423.0 |314.4
Stockport |504.4 |691.2
Tameside |238.9 |352.5
Trafford<1> |n/a |302.2
Wigan |418.1 |499.1
South Yorkshire
Barnsley |1,269.5 |788.8
Doncaster |698.0 |685.0
Rotherham |669.0 |904.4
Sheffield |2,025.6 |1,930.6
West Yorkshire
Bradford |1,612.0 |1,778.3
Calderdale |249.6 |310.3
Kirklees |1,402.9 |2,195.9
Leeds |2,117.1 |2,742.9
Wakefield |1,017.7 |1,048.2
Tyne and Wear
Gateshead |454.3 |375.8
Newcastle upon Tyne |608.7 |770.4
North Tyneside |706.1 |1,023.8
South Tyneside |325.8 |450.4
Sunderland<1> |n/a |933.3
Total Metropolitan Authorities |29,883.1 |36,204.4
<1> Discretionary data not provided in 1990-91
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Forestry
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give, for each of those forest areas in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Humberside currently for sale to the private sector, details of (a) how rights of public access will be maintained, (b) how the environmental code for forestry enterprise will be enforced, (c) what charges she will allow for access, (d) how many people are currently employed on these forests, (e) what percentage it is of the Forestry Commission's land in each county (i) in 1980 and (ii) at present and (f) what were the criteria for selection for privatisation.
Mr. Jack : The areas of forest land currently being offered for sale by the Forestry Commission in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Humberside are shown in the table.
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