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|Amount
Police Authority |£
-----------------------------------------------------
Cumbria |13,385.44
Greater Manchester |7,937,323.17
Humberside |202,700.87
Lancashire |696,288.29
Merseyside |1,032,697.68
Northamptonshire |9,190.90
Northumbria |218,916.32
South Yorkshire |270,742.53
West Yorkshire |346,807.06
Total |10,728,052.26
The above amounts exclude invoices not yet
submitted.
Police Houses
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police houses there are in each police authority; and how many are empty.
Mr. Maclean: The information is set out in the table.
Stock of police houses at 31 March 1994
Police authorities |Total stock |Vacant
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |346 |32
Bedfordshire |107 |3
Cambridgeshire |154 |5
Cheshire |142 |30
City of London |65 |5
Cleveland |7 |1
Cumbria |239 |64
Derbyshire |119 |59
Devon and Cornwall |139 |63
Dorset |159 |21
Durham |53 |5
Dyfed-Powys |187 |27
Essex |353 |41
Gloucestershire |165 |22
Greater Manchester |340 |41
Gwent |52 |8
Hampshire |314 |22
Hertfordshire |433 |44
Humberside |125 |15
Kent |479 |25
Lancashire |256 |27
Leicestershire |72 |7
Lincolnshire |109 |25
Merseyside |86 |1
Norfolk |81 |10
Northamptonshire |135 |12
Northumbria |288 |27
North Wales |276 |145
North Yorkshire |286 |52
Nottinghamshire |74 |9
South Wales |197 |35
South Yorkshire |78 |10
Staffordshire |120 |14
Suffolk |122 |37
Surrey |455 |17
Sussex |510 |10
Thames valley |611 |84
Warwickshire |135 |19
West Mercia |182 |34
West Midlands |403 |23
West Yorkshire |126 |29
Wiltshire |123 |27
Metropolitan Police |2,181 |156
Total |10,884 |1,343
Immigration Applicants
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last year the immigration service has failed to meet its target that no applicant for entry into the United Kingdom should spend more than 24 hours in a police cell; what was the length of time individuals were so incarcerated in such cases; and when he expects the target to be met.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Information about periods of detention in police cells is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Plans to provide additional immigration detention accommodation over the next 18 months should assist in reducing the time spent in police cells.
Spitalfields Market Constabulary
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the authority for the operation of Spitalfields Market constabulary; who controls them; what is their relationship with (a) the Metropolitan police and (b) the City of London police; what is the involvement of the Home Office in their work; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean: Responsibility for Spitalfields Market constabulary rests with the Corporation of the City of London.
Police Car Maintenance Units
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a summary of the financial findings from the study his Department conducted in 1988 into the proposed privatisation of police car maintenance units.
Mr. Maclean: No such study has ever been undertaken by the Home Office. The Audit Commission published a study in May 1989, however, entitled "Improving Vehicle Fleet Management in the Police Service"--police papers number 3--which made a number of
recommendations aimed at reducing the repair and maintenance costs of police vehicles. It did not consider the question of privatisation.
Internet
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide information via Internet; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard: My Department's press notices are passed to the Central Office of Information, through which they are made generally available to users of Internet. We are considering using Internet to provide other public information.
Mr. Stephen Smith
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken to date over the allegations made by Mr. Stephen Smith that he suffered medical negligence while an inmate at Doncaster prison; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Column 850
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 1 December 1994:The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the case of Stephen Smith.
Mr. Smith received medical attention at Doncaster prison and was subsequently referred to Doncaster Royal Infirmary for further treatment. Whilst receiving treatment for his condition in Doncaster it is recorded that he refused to follow medical advice.
Private Security Companies
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) by month for the last 48 months, the private security companies that his Department has employed that are not registered with either of the industry's watchdog bodies and (b) those companies currently employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean: During the period specified, the Home Office has let contracts to the following private security companies which are not registered with either the British Security Industry Association or the International Professional Trade Association:
Contractor |Contract duration ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COEX Limited |February 1991-September 1992 Grundig International Limited |July 1992-December 1992 Johnson Control Systems |February 1992-March 1994 Limited Knogo UK Limited |December 1991-June 1992 3 DIS (Europe) |March 1994-March 1994
The Home Office currently employs the following private security companies which are not registered with either the British Security Industry Association or the International Professional Trade Association:
Contractor
Airline Security Consultants Limited
Aviation Defence International
Defence Security Services
Insight Consulting
Security Wales Limited
A number of factors are considered when awarding contracts, which may include certification of compliance with relevant British standards and membership of an established trade association.
Prison Escapes
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women who were serving a prison sentence have escaped and are still at large; and on what dates and in what circumstances they absconded.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewes to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 1 December 1994: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of sentenced prisoners who have escaped and who are still at large.
Of the sentenced population, 67 male and two female prisoners are still at large. A table showing the dated and circumstance of
Column 851
each escape is enclosed, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.Many of the escapes have been through a breach of the perimeter of category C prison. We are part way through a major programme to upgrade the perimeter fences of such prisons which will make escape significantly more difficult.
A substantial proportion of escapes in the past have also been from escort. As a result of a range of initiatives, the number of escapes from escort is falling. If current trends continue, such escapes will be over 50 per cent. lower in 1994 95 than in 1992 93.
|Male or
Date |Female |Circumstances of
|Escape
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 November 1988 |F | From Crown Court (escort)
10 February 1989 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Aldington
31 October 1989 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Northeye
17 November 1989 |M |Through the fence at HMYOI
| and RC Feltham
7 December 1989 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Oxford
1 April 1990 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Send
4 August 1990 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Littlehey
20 February 1991 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Aldington
15 May 1991 |M |From outside hospital (escort)
14 June 1991 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Aldington
23 June 1991 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Aldington
29 June 1991 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Norwich
6 August 1991 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| The Mount
6 August 1991 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| The Mount
22 September 1991 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Bedford
24 October 1991 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Wayland
2 February 1992 |M | Over the fence at HMP
| Downview
11 February 1992 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Channings Wood
11 February 1992 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Channings Wood
17 February 1992 |M |From Crown Court (escort)
21 March 1992 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Wellingborough
24 April 1992 |M |Through the fence at HMP
|Featherstone
25 May 1992 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Blantyre House
6 June 1992 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Highpoint
1 July 1992 |F |From outside hospital (escort)
3 August 1992 |M |Hidden in laundry van at
| HMP Elmley
3 August 1992 |M |Hidden in laundry van at
| HMP Elmley
11 September 1992 |M |From family visit (escort)
26 September 1992 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Highpoint
26 September 1992 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Highpoint
4 October 1992 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Highpoint
4 October 1992 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Highpoint
8 November 1992 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Downview
12 November 1992 |M |From outside hospital (escort)
30 November 1992 |M |From outside hospital (escort)
1 April 1993 |M |From coach on route to prison
| (escort)
7 April 1993 |M |Through fence at HMP
| Wellingborough
2 June 1993 |M |Escape from HMP Channings
| Wood-method unknown
25 June 1993 |M |From outside hospital (escort)
2 August 1993 |M |Escape from HMP Blantyre
| House-method unknown
4 September 1993 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Downview
13 October 1993 |M |Escape from HMP Ranby-
| method unknown
23 October 1993 |M |Escape from HMYOI and RC
| Feltham-method unknown
29 November 1993 |M |Through fence at HMP
|Featherstone
16 December 1993 |M |From family visit (escort)
20 December 1993 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Wellingborough
20 December 1993 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Wellingborough
10 February 1994 |M |From coach en route to prison
| (escort)
23 March 1994 |M |From outside hospital (escort)
11 April 1994 |M |From family visit (escort)
22 May 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Wellingborough
12 June 1994 |M |From outside hospital (escort)
21 June 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Lindholme
21 June 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Lindholme
8 July 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Wellingborough
24 July 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMYOI
| Wetherby
24 July 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMYOI
| Wetherby
28 July 1994 |M
| Littlehey -method
| unknown
30 July 1994 |M |From visits at HMP
| Swaleside
3 August 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Downview
22 August 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Send
25 August 1994 |M |Through the fence at HMP
| Lindholme
30 August 1994 |M |Over the wall HMP
| Featherstone
18 September 1994 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Camp Hill
22 October 1994 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| Blantyre House
15 November 1994 |M |From outside hospital (escort)
15 November 1994 |M |Escape from HMP Blantyre
| House-method unknown
16 November 1994 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| The Mount
16 November 1994 |M |Over the fence at HMP
| The Mount
Prisoner Transfers
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the policy of his Department as to the transfer of prison inmates from
Column 853
prisons in England and Wales to prisons in other areas of the United Kingdom and overseas; and when this policy was last reviewed.Mr. Howard: The Criminal Justice Act 1961 provides for prisoners, on request, to be transferred between United Kingdom jurisdictions and the Channel Islands, either permanently or temporarily. Requests are considered on an individual basis under criteria announced to Parliament on 23 November 1992, Official Report, columns 481 82 .
The Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984 enables the United Kingdom to enter into international agreements for the repatriation of prisoners. Along with 27 other countries, the United Kingdom has ratified the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons. In addition, we have been joined in the Commonwealth repatriation scheme by five countries and bi- lateral agreement has been concluded with Thailand.
These arrangements are kept under constant review.
Home Leave
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners who were granted home leave were still at large having failed to return at the latest date for which figures are available;
(2) how many prisoners (a) applied for home leave and (b) were granted home leave in each of the first six months of 1994; (3) how many prisoners who were granted home leave during (a) 1992, (b) 1993 and (c) the first six months of 1994 were subsequently (i) charged and (ii) convicted of an offence while on home leave;
(4) how many prisoners who had been refused parole during the last 12 months were granted home leave within the next 56 days.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answers 21 November 1994]: Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewes to Mr. George Howarth, dated 1 December 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about home leave for prisoners.
I regret that the statistical information you have requested is either not collated centrally or is not held within the Prison Service and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Following the review of home leave and temporary release we are establishing a system to monitor release on temporary licence and the impact of the new arrangements. The system will provide a more comprehensive picture than is currently available, although it will not be capable of answering all of your questions.
Ethnic Minority Funding
Mr. MacShane: To ask he Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is his policy that the assistance provided currently under section 11 grant posts to Rotherham ethnic minority children who need help with English will be maintained under the single regeneration budget process.
I have been asked to reply.
The single regeneration budget has a range of objectives, including enhancing the employment prospects, education and skills of local people, particularly the young and those at a disadvantage, and promoting equality of opportunity. It is also intended to
Column 854
promote initiatives of benefit to ethnic minorities. In line with these objectives, on-going commitments under section 11, part of which has been absorbed within the SRB from 1 April 1994, will continue to be honoured. In addition, the SRB will be able to provide support for new education and other projects aimed at ethnic minority communities through the bidding arrangements introduced for 1995 96 and later years.Rotherham is also eligible to bid for section 11 resources under the terms of a circular issued by the Home Office on 7 September. My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary announced on 22 November that section 11 funding for the current bidding round is to be doubled from £15 million to £30 million, and that the deadline for applications for funding is to be extended to 30 December 1994.
Private Security Services
Mr. William O' Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives from private security services to discuss their role in respect of policing of streets; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean: No Home Office Ministers have ever met the private security industry specifically to discuss street patrolling. Policing of our streets is a matter for the police service.
EDUCATION
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list all grant-maintained schools, with their DFE reference numbers by local education authority area, in separate lists for primary, secondary and special schools, with voluntary schools separately identified by denomination; if she will give for each school (i) the actual expenditure for the year 1993 94 and (ii) the allocations made for the year 1994 95 together with, in each case, the number of pupils used for calculations, the transitional grant awarded, the direct annual maintenance grant, the AMG central costs allocation, the AMG meal subsidies, the AMG carry-forward from the previous financial year, the special-purpose grant for curriculum and staff-development grant, the special-purpose grant for VAT and rate- relief grant, the special-purpose grant for premises insurance grant, the special-purpose grant for staff-restructuring grant, the capital grant for formula allocation, the capital grant for named projects, other grants from public funds, the total of above grants for each school (1) excluding and (2) including capital grants for named projects, the total of the above for each school excluding capital grants expressed per head of school population, the total of the above for each school including capital grants expressed per head of school population, and the total for each of primary, secondary and special grant-maintained schools; and if, in respect of each school, she will list its standard `A' number multiplied by number of year groups and capacity according to open enrolment calculation.
Mr. Robin Squire: Matters concerning the determination and payment of grant to grant-maintained schools are now the responsibility of the Funding Agency
Column 855
for Schools. It also holds grant information relating to last year. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member.The remaining information requested is being collated. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as it is ready.
Late Payments
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many of the bills paid by her Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;
(2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in her Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.
Mr. Forth: The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department will be providing details of its annual payment performance in its departmental report. For the invoices submitted to central accounts in October, 94.7 per cent. had been paid within one month of receipt, 99.0 per cent. within two months, 99.7 per cent. within three months and 99.8 per cent within six months.
Capital Expenditure
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what amounts have been requested by way of capital spending in 1995 96 by each local education authority; and what has been the total amount requested in England.
Mr. Robin Squire: The information requested is set out in the following table:
Capital bids for LEAs in England for
1995-96 (per thousand)
LEA |Total bids
----------------------------------------
Barking |7,389
Barnet |8,616
Bexley |4,648
Brent |4,044
Bromley |8,068
Croydon |11,134
Ealing |38,064
Enfield |16,103
Haringey |15,138
Harrow |12,442
Havering |9,955
Hillingdon |9,563
Hounslow |14,373
Kingston |6,427
Merton |9,155
Newham |16,459
Redbridge |5,997
Richmond |5,820
Sutton |6,179
Waltham |12,379
City |-
Camden |5,516
Westminster |769
Greenwich |11,250
Hackney |8,672
Hammersmith |3,047
Islington |8,711
Kensington |3,248
Lambeth |12,293
Lewisham |22,953
Southwark |5,983
Wandsworth |10,349
Tower Hamlets |22,132
Birmingham |40,926
Coventry |5,726
Dudley |6,278
Sandwell |9,249
Solihull |5,115
Walsall |7,743
Wolverham |11,515
Knowsley |14,793
Liverpool |18,676
St. Helens |6,195
Sefton |4,439
Wirral |7,343
Bolton |5,769
Bury |3,141
Manchester |57,840
Oldham |9,119
Rochdale |8,645
Salford |21,263
Stockport |3,608
Tameside |4,498
Trafford |7,392
Wigan |9,043
Barnsley |5,371
Doncaster |9,347
Rotherham |4,380
Sheffield |43,690
Bradford |41,166
Calderdale |6,003
Kirklees |9,762
Leeds |28,958
Wakefield |27,740
Gateshead |6,206
Newcastle |26,189
North Tyneside |8,028
South Tyneside |5,708
Sunderland |10,113
Isle of Scilly |37
Avon |24,893
Bedfordshire |11,126
Berkshire |15,538
Bucks |25,345
Cambridge |26,329
Cheshire |31,409
Cleveland |10,639
Cornwall |15,975
Cumbria |25,244
Derbyshire |36,975
Devon |34,680
Dorset |24,149
Durham |53,984
East Sussex |34,916
Essex |76,527
Gloucester |45,828
Hampshire |33,718
Hereford and West |15,718
Hertford |16,872
Humberside |19,679
Isle of Wight |10,225
Kent |67,632
Lancashire |40,337
Leicester |9,611
Lincoln |16,197
Norfolk |17,677
North Yorkshire |32,232
Northampton |17,345
Northumber |5,178
Nottingshire |18,680
Oxfordshire |30,531
Shropshire |9,928
Somerset |11,959
Staffordshire |26,649
Suffolk |20,132
Surrey |22,842
Warwick |17,307
West Sussex |18,539
Wiltshire |7,732
Total |1,818,167
Admission Appeals
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will state in total and for each local education authority for 1992 93 and 1993 94 the number of parents who made admission appeals which were (a) withdrawn before appeal committee stage, (b) settled to the mutual satisfaction of both parties before appeal committee stage, (c) heard by appeal committee and rejected and (d) heard and decided in the parents' favour.
Mr. Robin Squire: Information on appeals lodged by parents against the non-admission of their children to the maintained school of their choice for each local education authority area for 1992 93 is given in the table. Information for 1993 94 is not yet available.
Appeals by parents against non-admission of their children to maintained (including Grant Maintained) primary and secondary schools
in
each local education authority area in England-Academic year 1992-93
Appeals Committee
outcome
|Withdrawn before
|Total appeals |reaching Appeals |Settled to mutual|Decided in
Local Education |lodged |Committee |satisfaction |parents favour |Rejected
Authority Area
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporation of London |1 |0 |1 |0 |0
Camden |378 |24 |46 |61 |247
Greenwich |393 |73 |50 |140 |129
Hackney |371 |26 |103 |101 |141
Hammersmith and Fulham |231 |13 |6 |25 |187
Islington |392 |0 |93 |81 |218
Kensington and Chelsea |58 |5 |7 |18 |28
Lambeth |380 |68 |89 |64 |159
Lewisham |784 |61 |154 |125 |444
Southwark |352 |16 |83 |79 |174
Tower Hamlets |596 |13 |150 |72 |361
Wandsworth |154 |35 |19 |48 |52
Westminster |227 |34 |20 |23 |150
Barking and Dagenham |174 |0 |60 |55 |59
Barnet |918 |189 |156 |189 |381
Bexley |434 |46 |91 |208 |89
Brent |145 |9 |66 |18 |52
Bromley |879 |221 |134 |138 |386
Croydon |831 |83 |95 |250 |402
Ealing |288 |6 |15 |90 |169
Enfield |710 |111 |131 |169 |299
Haringey |340 |5 |119 |55 |161
Harrow |372 |66 |47 |80 |179
Havering |388 |8 |43 |92 |245
Hillingdon |314 |16 |64 |31 |203
Hounslow |318 |40 |10 |93 |175
Kingston-upon-Thames<1> |125 |4 |11 |30 |79
Merton |233 |78 |79 |23 |53
Newham |39 |3 |12 |10 |14
Redbridge |503 |0 |0 |100 |403
Richmond-upon-Thames |227 |24 |1 |80 |122
Sutton |572 |16 |129 |111 |314
Waltham Forest |511 |26 |20 |263 |202
Birmingham |1,957 |157 |240 |539 |1,021
Coventry |437 |92 |1 |164 |180
Dudley |193 |17 |77 |21 |78
Sandwell |161 |58 |31 |59 |13
Solihull |258 |23 |89 |27 |119
Walsall |39 |13 |4 |9 |13
Wolverhampton |75 |16 |1 |22 |36
Knowsley |34 |0 |0 |15 |19
Liverpool |897 |0 |128 |340 |429
St. Helens |134 |12 |18 |59 |45
Sefton |123 |11 |50 |38 |24
Wirral |438 |0 |136 |70 |232
Bolton |233 |1 |22 |113 |97
Bury |619 |46 |303 |138 |130
Manchester |1,263 |86 |91 |561 |525
Oldham |378 |6 |204 |46 |122
Rochdale |262 |18 |69 |69 |106
Salford |134 |0 |64 |34 |36
Stockport |92 |0 |0 |40 |52
Tameside |173 |12 |3 |97 |61
Trafford |237 |12 |45 |46 |134
Wigan |158 |6 |59 |39 |54
Barnsley |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Doncaster |55 |4 |8 |10 |33
Rotherham |140 |10 |18 |43 |69
Sheffield |595 |135 |306 |99 |55
Bradford |1,457 |91 |463 |339 |564
Calderdale |<1>138 |52 |24 |13 |48
Kirklees |221 |18 |90 |61 |52
Leeds |2,360 |47 |1,496 |444 |373
Wakefield |<1>93 |2 |28 |30 |33
Gateshead |29 |1 |12 |3 |13
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |136 |3 |58 |58 |17
North Tyneside |16 |1 |4 |1 |10
South Tyneside |45 |3 |16 |10 |16
Sunderland |73 |4 |0 |28 |41
Isles of Scilly |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Avon |1,115 |149 |94 |462 |410
Bedfordshire |92 |0 |11 |39 |42
Berkshire |625 |34 |20 |202 |369
Buckinghamshire<2> |580 |24 |10 |161 |385
Cambridge |315 |12 |58 |121 |124
Cheshire |147 |38 |2 |20 |87
Cleveland |80 |10 |10 |14 |46
Cornwall |51 |2 |8 |19 |22
Cumbria |99 |11 |29 |34 |25
Derbyshire |485 |27 |65 |175 |218
Devon |541 |51 |119 |99 |272
Dorset |340 |6 |35 |136 |163
Durham |392 |19 |117 |142 |114
East Sussex |298 |16 |45 |85 |151
Essex |440 |32 |128 |102 |178
Gloucestershire |279 |17 |63 |87 |112
Hampshire |148 |55 |6 |28 |59
Hereford and Worcester |273 |18 |48 |62 |145
Hertfordshire |1,071 |127 |86 |275 |583
Humberside |457 |42 |49 |180 |186
Isle of Wight |37 |3 |8 |13 |13
Kent<2> |975 |203 |355 |142 |275
Lancashire |2,400 |425 |63 |1,132 |780
Leicestershire |373 |22 |31 |78 |242
Lincolnshire |240 |33 |20 |113 |74
Norfolk |183 |19 |46 |43 |75
North Yorkshire |533 |32 |0 |311 |190
Northamptonshire |103 |4 |29 |27 |43
Northumberland |51 |0 |0 |30 |21
Nottinghamshire |322 |84 |11 |91 |136
Oxfordshire |374 |9 |6 |202 |157
Shropshire |360 |5 |23 |297 |35
Somerset |379 |5 |144 |120 |110
Staffordshire |190 |18 |6 |72 |94
Suffolk |150 |17 |40 |60 |33
Surrey |640 |75 |160 |180 |225
Warwickshire |160 |13 |49 |60 |38
West Sussex |187 |29 |14 |39 |105
Wiltshire |151 |43 |25 |20 |63
England Total<3> |41,927 |4,005 |8,295 |12,080 |17,527
Notes:
<1> One appeal was withdrawn after being heard by the appeals committee but before the outcome was decided.
<2> LEAs which did not submit a complete return.
<3> The total number of appeals lodged includes 19 appeals which were heard by the outcome of which had not been decided when the
information was collected.
Higher Education Funding Council
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what percentage of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's teaching allocations was set aside in 1993 94 to compensate for the change in the balance between core and tuition fees; and what was the total sum allocated for compensation and the total funds allocated for research;
(2) how many institutions received marginal funding for teaching above £300,000 from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993 94 and 1994 95; and what was the amount of money allocated in each case;
(3) what proportion of Higher Education Funding Council for England research funds in 1993 94 and 1994 95 was employed in the category of development research, supporting technical development of new forms of teaching and learning; which of the old universities received allocations in this category and what was the maximum and minimum allocation made to any institution in this category;
(4) in which separate categories of the allocations itemised by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993 94 and 1994 95 the sums distributed by the council amounted to less than 1 per cent. of the total;
(5) if she will list the amounts allocated for research to the 10 institutions receiving least in research funds from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993 94 and 1994 95; (6) how many institutions received research funds from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (a) above £20 million, (b) less than £20 million but above £1 million, (c) less than £1 million but greater than zero or (d) zero research funds for 1993 94 and 1994 95;
(7) what was the maximum total research allocation by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to any single institution in 1993 94 and 1994 95.
(8) if she will list separately the funds provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for teaching and for research for (a) the Open University, (b) the old universities, (c) the former polytechnics and (d) colleges for 1993 94 and 1994 95.
Mr. Boswell: The figures requested are published in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's circulars 35/93 and 31/94, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms the Higher Education Funding Council for England uses to identify best practice in teaching; and what financial incentives are used to encourage it.
Mr. Boswell: The Higher Education Funding Council for England recruits appropriate academics to undertake quality assessments of teaching and learning in specific subjects at higher education institutions. An unsatisfactory assessment risks the withdrawal of funds unless corrected during a specified period. Reports of individual assessments are published and, as the assessments for each subject area are completed, an overview report for the whole subject area is published. This peer review identifies best practice and reports on it in the detailed assessment and overview reports.
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The HEFCE, jointly with the other funding councils and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, also supports a teaching and learning technology programme which aims to promote best practice, flexibility and efficiency in teaching within higher education through the greater use of new technology.Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether she has carried out a review into the effectiveness of the funding methodology applied by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in achieving the objectives given to the council by the Government; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell: The effectiveness of funding policy, including the funding methodology of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, in achieving the Government's objectives for higher education is kept under constant review.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the maximum and minimum full-time undergraduate average unit of Higher Education Funding Council for England funding by academic subject category for 1993 94 and 1994 95; and which institutions received these figures in each case.
Mr. Boswell: Details of the average units of council funding for 1993 94 are published in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's report 1/94, a copy of which is available in the Library. Details for 1994 95 are not yet available.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what evidence she has received on trends in teaching costs in higher education institutions; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell: The higher education sector has achieved significant reductions in unit costs in recent years. Up to 1993 94, the scale of the productivity gains in terms of unit public funding exceeded those planned by the Government as a result of institutions' decisions to recruit at above the level of the Government's plans.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what mechanisms exist to ensure that funds allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for research are not used for other purposes;
(2) what measures are in place to ensure that the expenditure in institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England reflects the allocations made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England relating to research and teaching.
Mr. Boswell: The majority of recurrent funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England is provided in the form of a block grant. Higher education institutions, being autonomous, are free to deploy the grant to meet their own needs and priorities, subject to the terms of their financial memoranda with the HEFCE. The HEFCE has asked institutions to account annually for their allocation of research funds to individual departments, though not to account for how those funds are spent. This will enable higher education institutions to plan their research better and provide improved public accountability.
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League Tables
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proposals she has for the supply of information to local authorities by grant-maintained schools for the purpose of drawing up value-added school league tables.
Mr. Forth: The report of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority on the development of value added by schools will be published shortly. The implications for the collection and aggregation of data to permit the inclusion of value-added measures in school performance tables will need to be considered against the various options for comparing pupils' actual achievements at different ages. Whatever approach is adopted will need to produce measures which are straightforward to calculate and intelligible to parents.
Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the special advisers employed by her Department in each of the last five years indicating when they (a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.
Mr. Forth: Five special advisers have been employed by the Department in the last five years: Eleanor Laing, Tessa Keswick, David Ruffley, Clifford Grantham, and, most recently, Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell.
Information on special advisers is not retained in the Department once they leave, and dates of joining and leaving are not therefore available.
Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.
Students (Financial Support)
Mr. Sumberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will give details of the support that will be available to students through mandatory awards and student loans in the academic year 1995 96.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard: I have today laid before Parliament the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations 1994 and, together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1994.
These regulations provide for new rates of grant and loan for the academic year 1995 96 and for the various changes I announced on 29 November, Official Report, columns 675 80. The total level of support available to students through the main rates of grant and loan together in 1995 96 will be 2.5 per cent. higher than for 1994 95 in line with forecast price increases. I am placing a memorandum in the Library giving full details of the new rates.
Specialist Institutions
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in what circumstances it is the responsibility (a) of local education authorities to buy placements at independent specialist institutions for young people aged 16 to 19 years who have a statement and (b) of the Further
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Education Funding Council for buying placements if there is not a statement and if the college is educationally appropriate; if Doncaster college for the deaf is classed as educationally appropriate; and if she will make a statement.Mr. Boswell: Under the Education Act 1993, LEAs have a duty, in consultation with the parents, to determine the special education provision required for young people for whom they are responsible. Where an LEA maintains a statement, it must also arrange for the special educational provision specified in the statement. LEAs have a statutory duty to pay for the provision at an independent institution specified in a statement when it is further education provided at a school catering for under-16s as well as over-16s.
In circumstances where there is no LEA duty to fund provision, it falls upon the Further Education Funding Council to do so in respect of students over compulsory school age and under 25 years of age who have learning difficulties and disabilities. Where the council has satisfied itself that suitable provision is not available in the further and higher education sectors and judges that it is in the students' best interests to do so, it has a duty to buy provision outside these sectors.
The Further Education Funding Council has confirmed that it will continue to fund places for students with learning difficulties and disabilities at Doncaster college for the deaf in cases which meet the council's published criteria for such placements.
Christmas Expenditure
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by her Department and Government agencies answerable to her Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices and official residences.
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