| Previous Section | Home Page |
State Nursery Schools, Leeds
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) three-year-olds and (b) four-year-olds were attending state nursery schools in Leeds in each year since 1985.
Mr. Forth: The information requested is shown in the table.
Percentage of pupils aged 3 and 4<1> in maintained nursery schools in Leeds LEA 1985-94 Ages at previous 31 |Pupils aged 3 |Pupils aged 4 August -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1985 |2 |<2>- 1986 |2 |1 1987 |2 |1 1988 |2 |<2>- 1989 |2 |<2>- 1990 |2 |1 1991 |2 |1 1992 |2 |1 1993 |1 |1 1994 |1 |<2>- <1> Excluding pupils who became 5 years of age by 1 January. <2> Less than 0.5.
Further Education Colleges
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment her Department has made of the differential growth rates across colleges of further education; what measures she has taken or intends to take in order to reform the method of funding further education colleges in England; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell: The Further Education Funding Council has developed a new funding methodology after wide consultation; its proposals gained a high degree of acceptance. The new methodology was introduced for the academic year 1994 95. Refinements to the methodology, and examination of information about the sector to assess the sufficiency and adequacy of further education provision, are matters for the council.
Student Loans
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students are eligible to apply for student loans; and how many receive mandatory grants.
Column 398
Mr. Boswell: In 1993 94, there was estimated to be around 752,000 students who were eligible to apply for a student loan in England and Wales, compared with a figure of around 688,000 in 1992 93. In 1992 93, the latest year for which information is available, there were 666,100 mandatory award holders in England and Wales. The coverage and conditions of eligibility for student loans differ from those for mandatory awards.
Pre-school Provision
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many three and four-year-olds there are in nursery classes, nursery schools or primary reception classes for each local education authority; and what percentage this represents of the population in those age groups in January 1994.
Mr. Robin Squire: Information about the number of pupils under five years of age being taught in maintained nursery and primary schools in each local education authority in England in January 1994 is shown in the table.
Pupils under five in maintained nursery and primary schools in
each LEA in England January 1994
|Percentage of
LEA |Pupils<1> |Population
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Camden |1,979 |49
Greenwich |4,267 |62
Hackney |3,170 |52
Hammersmith and Fulham |2,179 |58
Islington |3,261 |69
Kensington and Chelsea |1,264 |38
Lambeth |3,457 |49
Lewisham |3,763 |52
Southwark |5,167 |73
Tower Hamlets |4,897 |84
Wandsworth |4,089 |62
Westminster |1,671 |44
Barking and Dagenham |3,340 |74
Barnet |4,751 |57
Bexley |2,475 |40
Brent |4,662 |68
Bromley |2,491 |33
Croydon |4,376 |47
Ealing |5,816 |73
Enfield |3,999 |54
Haringey |4,394 |76
Harrow |2,633 |50
Havering |2,435 |43
Hillingdon |3,278 |48
Hounslow |4,189 |72
Kingston upon Thames |2,172 |61
Merton |3,683 |75
Newham |4,563 |58
Redbridge |2,443 |40
Richmond upon Thames |1,887 |44
Sutton |1,885 |40
Waltham Forest |3,635 |54
Birmingham |20,363 |66
Coventry |5,097 |58
Dudley |5,636 |69
Sandwell |7,509 |90
Solihull |3,707 |71
Walsall |6,808 |92
Wolverhampton |6,012 |85
Knowsley |4,334 |88
Liverpool |10,904 |87
St Helens |3,210 |68
Sefton |4,967 |64
Wirral |5,188 |57
Bolton |5,632 |72
Bury |3,165 |61
Manchester |9,875 |73
Oldham |4,653 |70
Rochdale |4,133 |64
Salford |5,541 |88
Stockport |4,363 |57
Tameside |4,731 |73
Trafford |3,942 |69
Wigan |4,971 |57
Barnsley |3,959 |66
Doncaster |6,187 |74
Rotherham |4,337 |60
Sheffield |8,230 |63
Bradford |10,243 |70
Calderdale |3,637 |68
Kirklees |7,732 |72
Leeds |14,534 |75
Wakefield |6,438 |72
Gateshead |3,456 |68
Newcastle upon Tyne |5,039 |72
North Tyneside |4,195 |87
South Tyneside |3,555 |86
Sunderland |6,024 |74
Avon |13,259 |53
Bedfordshire |8,115 |49
Berkshire |7,077 |33
Buckinghamshire |5,906 |32
Cambridgeshire |8,078 |43
Cheshire |13,995 |53
Cleveland |14,481 |90
Cornwall |5,242 |45
Cumbria |6,954 |56
Derbyshire |15,235 |60
Devon |6,946 |27
Dorset |5,655 |37
Durham |12,050 |77
East Sussex |6,772 |39
Essex |9,208 |22
Gloucestershire |4,467 |32
Hampshire |15,098 |36
Hereford and Worcester |4,044 |22
Hertfordshire |13,880 |50
Humberside |14,567 |62
Isle of Wight |1,087 |39
Kent |15,102 |36
Lancashire |20,212 |53
Leicestershire |9,922 |38
Lincolnshire |6,205 |43
Norfolk |6,254 |34
North Yorkshire |8,861 |49
Northamptonshire |8,471 |50
Northumberland |5,405 |71
Nottinghamshire |15,688 |57
Oxfordshire |4,033 |25
Shropshire |4,026 |36
Somerset |4,466 |37
Staffordshire |15,928 |56
Suffolk |5,595 |32
Surrey |7,622 |29
Warwickshire |6,344 |49
West Sussex |3,901 |22
Wiltshire |3,829 |24
England<2> <3> |674,596 |52
<1> Excludes pupils who became 5 years of age by 1 January 1994
<2> Includes the Isles of Scilly
<3> Includes the Corporation of London
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of the individuals appointed by her Department to public positions in the last year were first identified by the Public Appointments Unit.
Mr. Boswell: In the past year, six individuals appointed by the Department to public bodies had been first identified by the Public Appointments Unit.
Adult Literacy
Mr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government have concluded their review of the adult literacy and basic skills unit; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell: The Government have concluded their review of the adult literacy and basic skills unit. I am writing today to the chairman of ALBSU, Mr. Peter Davis, to inform him of our conclusions.
The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are fundamental to the United Kingdom's future competitiveness. Too many people have inadequate basic skills for the modern world. ALBSU plays an important role in tackling that problem.
Earlier this year, ALBSU published proposals in its document "Making it Happen" that it should be redesignated as a general basic skills unit with a wider remit. ALBSU argued that this would allow the unit to develop a more coherent national basic skills strategy and tackle the problem of poor basic skills more effectively. In the light of ALBSU's proposals, and of the Government's review of the unit's effectiveness and efficiency, the Government have decided that ALBSU should remain as an independent basic skills unit funded by the Department for Education and the Welsh Office, but working closely with the further education funding councils and the Further Education Development Agency.
We have also decided that ALBSU's remit should be extended so that it becomes a more general basic skills unit, with responsibilities extending to basic skills training in the workplace, for the unemployed, for young people and between generations.
These decisions represent a vote of confidence in ALBSU. They also demonstrate the Government's commitment to improving the basic skills of the whole population, as part of our broader commitment to achieving the national targets for education and training.
PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 17 January.
The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Prime Minister how many of the individuals appointed by his Department to public
Column 401
positions in the last year were first identified by the Public Appointments Unit.The Prime Minister: Recommendations for appointments are made from a number of sources. It is not practicable for my Office to detail those first identified by the Public Appointments Unit.
Strathclyde Floods
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Prime Minister when he intends to visit the victims of the Strathclyde floods.
The Prime Minister [holding answer Monday 16 January 1995]: My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Local Government for Scotland visited the victims of the flooding, on my behalf, on 12 December 1994 and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland made a private visit on 27 December 1994.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Attorney-General how many of the individuals appointed by his Department to public positions in the last year were first identified by the Public Appointments Unit.
The Attorney-General: No such appointments have been made in the last year.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Departmental Responsibilities
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the division of responsibilities and relationship between the next steps agencies and Ministers.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: The division of responsibilities and the relationship between the chief executive of an agency and the Minister in charge of the Department is set out in the individual agency's framework document. A copy of the framework document for each of the 102 agencies now in existence is available in the Library of the House.
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the division of responsibilities and relationship between his departmental Ministers and agencies.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: The division of responsibilities and relationship between Ministers and agencies in my Department is set out in the framework document of each agency. Copies of these framework documents, a number of which are undergoing review at present, are in the Library of the House.
Executive Agencies
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will set out the principal division of the annual budgets of each of the next steps agencies for each year since their formation.
Column 402
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: Information on the budgets of each of the next steps agencies can be found in their published annual accounts, which are in the Library of the House.
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set out for each of the next steps agencies, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within their parent Government Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.
Mr. David Hunt: These are matters for individual departmental Ministers and their agency chief executives.
Agencies operate within the framework of demanding quality standards and tight control of civil service running costs and other financial targets, as set out in the White Paper "The Civil Service--Continuity and Change", Cm 2627. In the usual way, their expenditure is subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. As tasks are delegated to agencies, staff in departmental headquarters previously performing the task are reduced. Staff in agencies remain, of course, civil servants--total civil service manpower has reduced at the same time as more next steps agencies have been established. The record of agencies in improving effectiveness and efficiency in government is summarised in the "Next Steps Review 1994", Cm 2750.
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the individuals appointed by his Department to public positions in the last year were first identified by the Public Appointments Unit.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Subsidiarity
Sir Richard Body: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the instances since the treaty of Maastricht when the principle of subsidiarity has been applied to Community decisions.
Mr. David Davis: The principle of subsidiarity applies to all Community decisions. Article 3b of the Maastricht treaty makes this clear, as do the conclusions of successive European Councils since Lisbon in June 1992, and the October 1993 inter-institutional agreement.
Sir Richard Body: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the instances when Her Majesty's Government have sought to have the principle of subsidiarity applied since the ratification of the Maastricht treaty.
Mr. David Davis: We examine closely the subsidiarity implications of all Community decisions, and have done so since long before the Maastricht treaty entered into
Column 403
force. The incorporation of subsidiarity into article 3b of the treaty and the undertakings by the Council, Commission and the European Parliament in the 1993 inter-institutional agreement to ensure that subsidiarity checks form an integral part of their internal procedures have helped to entrench subidiarity further into all Community business.Caribbean
Sir Thomas Arnold: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy to encourage incremental constitutional development suited to the needs of each territory in the dependent territories in the Caribbean.
Mr. Baldry: Our policy is to consider constitutional development in the light of the needs of individual dependent territories and ourselves, but such development is subject always to the good government of the territories concerned.
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy in respect of an increase in the allocation of financial resources to the Organisation for Security and Co- operation in Europe.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: Our policy is to seek to restrict the annual increase of the budgets of international organisations to zero real growth. In the case of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, we distinguish between administrative and operational expenditure. Administrative expenditure should be subject to ZRG. Operational expenditure is more difficult to foresee and requires more flexible treatment, although it, too, must be cost-effective. Since the end of the cold war, the OSCE has increased its activities in conflict prevention and crisis management. These include OSCE missions presently operating in eight OSCE countries and an expansion of the preventive diplomacy work by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the High Commissioner on National Minorities. We fully support these activities.
The United Kingdom delegation to the OSCE plays an active role in the negotiation of the OSCE's annual budget and ensuring value for money.
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the individuals appointed by his Department to public positions in the last year were first identified by the Public Appointments Unit.
Mr. Goodlad: The number of individuals appointed in the last year by this Department who were first identified by the Public Appointments Unit are as follows:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
None
Overseas Development Administration
One (1)
Iran
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made
Column 404
of the compatibility of FCO sponsorship of a seminar organised by the Society for Contemporary Iranian Studies on the political economy of contemporary Iran at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, on 18 and 19 January with present Government policy towards Iran; and what is the estimated cost of the seminar to public funds.Mr. Douglas Hogg: Our support for the forthcoming conference on Iran is in line with our policy of critical dialogue with Iran. This conference is aimed at promoting understanding of the Iranian economy and strengthening academic and economic contacts with Iranian professionals. We are contributing £1,500 towards conference costs.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Private Members' Bills
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Lord President of the Council which private Members' Bills in the current parliamentary Session have been or are being drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Council, wholly or in part; and on whose instructions the drafting is or has been undertaken in each case.
Mr. Newton: To date, Parliamentary Counsel has provided drafting assistance for the following Bills on the instructions of the Departments shown and acting on the authority of Ministers. Insurance Companies (Reserves) Bill (Trade and Industry) Charities (Amendment) Bill (Home Office)
Proceeds of Crime Bill (Home Office)
Road Traffic (New Drivers) Bill (Transport)
Olympic Symbol Etc. (Protection) Bill (National Heritage) Dogs (Fouling of Land) Bill (Environment)
Prisoners (Return to Custody) Bill (Home Office)
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Lord President of the Council what would be the current value of the financial assistance available to private Members for the drafting of balloted bills if it had been increased in line with inflation since its introduction.
Mr. Newton: A resolution of the House in 1971 authorised the payment of up to £200 to hon. Members securing one of the first 10 places in the ballot for private Members' Bills, to assist in the cost of drafting. The equivalent sum at 1994 95 prices would be £1, 454.
Laptop Computers
Mr. Allen: To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee if he will request a copy of the report of the California Senate into the use of laptop computers for hon. Members in the House and Chamber; and if he will make a statement on whether a similar scheme could be analysed by his Department for implementation in the Commons.
Mr. Waller: I understand that the computer officer has requested a copy. I shall ask him to circulate it to the Committee when it is received, and to inform the hon. Member.
Upper Waiting Hall Exhibition
Sir Geoffrey Pattie: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an
Column 405
application for an exhibition relating to the Shaftesbury Society to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.Mr. Michael J. Martin: I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 27 March to Friday 31 March 1995.
ENVIRONMENT
Fire Services
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will review the standard spending assessment formula in respect of the Staffordshire fire services;
(2) what was the standard spending assessment formula relating to fire service work for (a) inland and (b) coastal fire service authorities relating to fire service work for (i) 1992 93, (ii) 1993 94, (iii) 1994 95 and (iv) proposed for 1995 96.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: We are considering representations from local authorities about the proposed settlement for 1995 96, including one dated 6 January 1995 from Staffordshire county council, which asks for a change to the proposed methodology on the fire element of SSAs.
The same formula is used for inland and coastal authorities. The formulae for 1992 93, 1993 94 and 1994 95 are published in part 4 of the local government finance report for the relevant year and for 1995 96 in the draft local government finance report 1995 96.
House Renovation Grants
Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses in Lewisham are in a condition which would qualify them for repairs or renovation grants; and what is the average cost per household of such grants.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: My Department has not made estimates of numbers of properties which would qualify for renovation grants in individual London boroughs. Qualification depends both on the condition of the property and the circumstances of the owner. The London borough of Lewisham commissioned the Lewisham private sector house condition survey in 1993. This estimated that 9,500 private homes--14 per cent.--in the London borough of Lewisham did not meet current fitness standards. It does not estimate how many of these homes would qualify for renovation grants if their owners applied, or the cost of such grants.
Mandatory renovation grants made by the local authority to households in Lewisham in 1994 95 are expected to average around £12, 300 each, while discretionary minor works grants are expected to average around £600 each.
Blyth Valley
Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was spent on industrial investment and environmental improvements by the
Column 406
northern development company in the Blyth Valley constituency in each year since 1989.Mr. Ian Taylor: I have been asked to reply.
Nil. The Northern Development Co. is essentially a promotional organisation co-ordinating inward investment activities in the region.
Damping Grant
Mr. Heppell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what damping grant is allocated to Nottinghamshire county council in (a) actual and (b) real terms; and what level in each case is allocated to the average shire council.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: "Damping" or SSA reduction grant was introduced in 1994 95 to assist local authorities which experienced a reduction of more than 2 per cent. in their standard spending assessment as a result of the revision of SSA methodology in 1993 or by the incorporation of 1991 census data. No county council experienced such changes and none therefore received SSA reduction grant. Nottingham city council did and received £1.146 million in 1994 95.
Under the proposed settlement, reduction grant in respect of the changes in 1994 95 will continue to be paid in 1995 96 with an increase in the threshold for payment up to a further 2 per cent. to 4 per cent. The amount of SSA reduction grant that Nottingham city council will receive under the proposed settlement is £348,000.
Building Research Establishment
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what redundancies have been made at the Building Research Establishment; what plans he has for the future of the centre; what assistance is provided by the centre to developing countries; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Paul Beresford: There have been no redundancies at the Building Research Establishment.
The establishment's policy and resources framework is under review; this includes consideration of whether executive agency status is the most appropriate basis for BRE's future operations. My right hon. Friend will make a statement in due course.
I have asked the chief executive of BRE to write to the hon. Member about the establishment's work in developing countries.
Letter from R.G. Courtney to Mr. George Foulkes, dated 13 January 1995 :
BRE ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
The Minister for Construction has asked me to reply to the part of your Parliamentary Question which concerns the assistance BRE provides to developing countries. This currently takes various forms which I outline below.
Research and associated advice
Medium-term programmes of research, carried out over a period of three years or so, have addressed many issues relevant to construction in developing countries. They are normally funded by the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) and often includes joint research undertaken with organisations in developing countries. A current ODA-funded programme is demonstrating the value of energy-efficient refurbishment of domestic apartments in China. In this, we are working with the Chinese Academy of
Column 407
Building Research. BRE recently concluded a project on low-cost housing in Malaysia carried out with the Universiti Sains Malaysia and the University of Wales. This was partly funded by ODA, with further assistance from the British Council.Commissions
BRE receives commissions, often through ODA or other aid agencies but sometimes directly from the countries concerned, to undertake short-term research-based work to meet specific needs. Examples of this during 1994/95 have included assistance to the timber industry in Honduras, and to the Ministry of Construction in Vietnam. We have also assisted developing countries establish their own building research organisations. For example, BRE advised the Ministry of the Interior in Taiwan on the development of its Building Research Institute, and now continues to provide advice and training to the Institute, at present in fire research and testing.
Attached workers
BRE has `attached workers' from developing countries, for periods of training or to gain research experience. The enclosed BRE Overseas Information Paper explains the scheme. At any time there are usually two or three attached workers at BRE. They are generally in receipt of a scholarship from an aid agency or from their own government.
Advice to enquirers
Provision of advice to enquirers from developing countries is funded by ODA at a cost in 1994/95 of nearly £20k. Enquiries are usually concerned with the design of low cost housing and community buildings, the use of alternative building materials and the principles of construction suitable to withstand natural forces such as earthquakes and hurricanes. They are replied to individually, but are often answered by sending an Overseas Building Note. This series of publications has been funded by ODA although no funds are currently available for its development.
Distribution of research reports
BRE distributes a limited number of free copies of research reports, and other publications to similar organisations in developing countries, usually on an exchange basis but sometimes as gifts to develop international co-operation.
International collaboration
In its main programmes, BRE collaborates with universities and technical institutions from many countries, including developing countries. For example, BRE has an agreement with the Sichuan Institute of Building Research in China, under which the Institute assists BRE by carrying out a small programme of masonry research under a sub-contract.
In total, BRE received £141k from ODA programmes in 1993/94. I hope this information will be helpful; please let me know if you would like me to expand on any aspect of our work.
| Next Section
| Home Page |