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Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if (a) the Welsh Development Agency, (b) the Development Board for Rural Wales and (c) the Welsh tourist board are connected to the Internet system.
Mr. Redwood: The Development Board for Rural Wales has recently been connected to the Internet system. The Welsh Development Agency and the Wales Tourist Board are making plans to do so.
Welsh Language
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the public bodies in Wales that have been given notice by the Welsh Language Board to propose a scheme in accordance with section 5 of the Welsh Language Act 1993.
Mr. Richards: No public bodies will be given notice to prepare a Welsh language scheme until guidelines as to the form and content of such schemes, issued under section 9 of the Act, have been approved by my right hon. Friend and by Parliament. The Welsh Language Board is currently consulting on draft guidelines.
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Animal Diseases
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current number of cattle aged 30 months or under with enzootic bovine leukosis; what was the figure 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: There are currently no clinical cases of enzootic bovine leukosis in cattle in Wales and there were none 12 months ago.
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of Dourine were reported in each year since 1985.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: No cases of Dourine have occurred in Wales since 1985.
Tir Cymen
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what effect the reduction in grant aid to the Countryside Council for Wales is going to have on the budget available for Tir Cymen schemes in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: My right hon. Friend is anxious to ensure that the reduction in the Countryside Council for Wales' grant-in-aid should not affect the Tir Cymen scheme. He has therefore agreed the provision of an additional £500,000 in the council's grant-in-aid for 1995 96, which will enable a further 200 or so farmers to participate in the scheme next year.
Local Authorities (Local Purchasing)
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimates he has received from training and enterprise councils in Wales of the additional employment secured by ensuring a policy of local purchasing where possible by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Richards: This information is not collected centrally.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in respect of (a) each county council, (b) each district council and (c) each of the proposed unitary councils and for Wales as a whole the estimated amount of money which his office will provide to fund the cost of local government reorganisation.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: My right hon. Friend has announced total funding of £43 million for 1994 95 and 1995 96.
The sum of £20 million is being provided for information technology changes in the form of supplementary credit approvals. An SCA of £38, 955 was issued to each county and district council on 31 October--a total of £1.753 million. The remaining £18.247 million will be distributed to the unitary authorities according to a formula, consultation on which does not finish until 3 February. The allocations set out in the following table are therefore provisional. £3.5 million will be provided to district and county councils in 1995 96 for compensation costs, again in the form of SCAs. The Welsh Office will be discussing the distribution arrangements with the local authority associations in due course. My right hon. Friend informed the House on 14 December that, if some authorities decided to make major administrative savings
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at the point of reorganisation, he would make more money available to facilitate this.Finally, £19.5 million will be provided to the unitary authorities in 1995 96 for their running costs. The distribution is set out in the following table. I am pleased to be able to announce that this funding will, subject to the approval of the House, take the form of special grant. I expect the necessary report to be laid shortly and to be debated at the same time as the other local government finance reports for 1995 96.
Funding for local government reorganisation during 1995-96.
Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000
|Running |Information
|costs |technology
Unitary authority |<1>£000 |<2>£000
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anglesey |797 |715
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire |942 |858
Aberconwy and Colwyn |937 |952
Denbighshire |869 |836
Flintshire |903 |881
Wrexham |890 |863
Powys |916 |962
Cardiganshire |795 |612
Pembrokeshire |883 |854
Carmarthenshire |979 |1,107
Swansea |963 |959
Neath and Port Talbot |958 |979
Bridgend |837 |667
The Vale of Glamorgan |830 |658
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff |1,024 |965
Merthyr Tydfil |790 |606
Caerphilly |979 |1,007
Blaenau Gwent |799 |718
Torfaen |812 |734
Monmouthshire |804 |724
Newport |842 |774
Cardiff |952 |817
Wales |19,500 |18,247
Notes:
<1> Subject to approval of the House, to be paid as special grant.
<2> Supplementary credit approvals. Provisional allocations only.
National Museum of Wales
Mr. Faulds: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the attendance figures for 1994 reported by the National Museum of Wales, including its outstations, with the percentage change from 1993.
Mr. Richards: A total of 872,936 people visited the National Museum of Wales during 1994, a decrease of 8.3 per cent. over the attendance reported for 1993.
Private Patients
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many private in-patients and out-patients were treated in NHS hospitals; and what was the total income earned from private patients in each of the last five years, and by health authority.
Mr. Richards [holding answer 13 January 1995]: Information on the number of private in-patient cases, out-patient attendances and day case attendances is given in the table. Individual patients may appear more than once in the table.
Health authority |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94<2>
area<1>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In-patient cases<3>
Clwyd |388 |419 |394 |365 |370
East Dyfed |637 |348 |195 |154 |106
Gwent |48 |106 |109 |99 |140
Gwynedd |229 |244 |272 |171 |110
Mid Glamorgan |297 |173 |230 |146 |144
Pembrokeshire |135 |159 |79 |44 |64
Powys |- |- |- |- |-
South Glamorgan |111 |118 |118 |119 |97
West Glamorgan |149 |193 |161 |159 |173
Wales |1,994 |1,760 |1,558 |1,257 |1,204
Out-patient attendances<3>
Clwyd |2,267 |3,167 |2,511 |2,343 |2,187
East Dyfed |2,441 |1,839 |1,779 |1,809 |1,254
Gwent |70 |78 |65 |90 |130
Gwynedd |290 |367 |235 |289 |266
Mid Glamorgan |672 |692 |881 |491 |239
Pembrokeshire |1,534 |1,489 |1,673 |1,225 |1,259
Powys |- |- |- |5 |-
South Glamorgan |1,058 |1,163 |1,008 |733 |752
West Glamorgan |624 |917 |863 |963 |1,029
Wales |8,956 |9,712 |9,015 |7,948 |7,116
Day case attendances<3>
Clwyd |513 |129 |103 |103 |145
East Dyfed |452 |151 |92 |114 |135
Gwent |47 |105 |116 |126 |106
Gwynedd |182 |117 |258 |126 |132
Mid Glamorgan |139 |126 |168 |151 |174
Pembrokeshire |149 |85 |60 |46 |81
Powys |- |- |- |- |-
South Glamorgan |5 |8 |4 |1 |2
West Glamorgan |364 |504 |346 |357 |251
Wales |1,851 |1,225 |1,147 |1,024 |1,026
Income (£ thousands)<4>
Clwyd |433 |543 |605 |651 |775
East Dyfed |355 |259 |250 |215 |242
Gwent |77 |141 |167 |220 |374
Gwynedd |238 |260 |270 |181 |155
Mid Glamorgan |99 |147 |231 |282 |339
Pembrokeshire |129 |130 |133 |155 |96
Powys |- |- |- |2 |1
South Glamorgan |136 |152 |253 |246 |450
West Glamorgan |171 |222 |264 |302 |478
Wales |1,638 |1,854 |2,173 |2,254 |2,910
<1> Figures for NHS trusts have been allocated to the health authority area in which they are situated.
<2> Provisional.
<3> The number of patients refer to those treated privately i.e. accommodation and treatment were paid for by the patient.
<4> Income figures include all fees from privately treated patients as well as money received from NHS patients paying for
accommodation in single rooms or small wards.
Hospital Admissions
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1994, Official
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Report , column 372, what percentage of total admissions was represented by emergency hospital admissions.Mr. Richards [holding answer 17 January 1995]: The information is given in the following table:
Immediate admissions as a percentage of all hospitals admissions
Area of treatment |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |43.8 |43.3 |52.7 |41.2 |38.8
East Dyfed |46.3 |45.6 |46.8 |42.8 |42.0
Gwent |47.7 |46.3 |45.9 |46.0 |42.2
Gwynedd |52.4 |44.7 |44.2 |43.9 |44.1
Mid Glamorgan |42.2 |43.8 |43.0 |42.2 |41.1
Pembrokeshire |60.9 |62.6 |64.6 |43.7 |40.6
Powys |50.1 |53.2 |52.9 |46.7 |42.7
South Glamorgan |37.8 |40.8 |43.7 |42.5 |39.5
West Glamorgan |44.0 |44.8 |44.5 |41.5 |41.2
Wales |44.5 |44.6 |46.3 |42.8 |40.9
HEALTH
Home Care
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) home helps and (b) district nurses per 1,000 people over the age of 65 years there were in England for each of the years 1989 to 1993; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis: For England, figures are available only for home helps employed by social services departments. They do not take account of home helps in the independent sector, including those working in services that have been contracted out. For home helps directly employed by SSDs only, the figures for 1989 to 1993 are 7.5, 7.4, 7.2, 7.1 and 6.6 respectively.
The figures for district nurses are shown in the table.
Number per 1,000 people aged 65 and |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 over ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District nurses |1.3 |1.4 |1.3 |1.3 |1.2 Sources: The home help figures are derived from the annual Department of Health census of local authority social services staff. The district nurses figures are derived from the Department's non-medical work force census. The population data used are the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys mid-year figures for England.
Northumberland Ambulance Service
Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff have been employed by the Northumberland ambulance service for each year since 1987.
Mr. Sackville: Figures for 1987 to 1992 are not available centrally. As at 30 September 1993, there were 680 whole-time equivalents employed by Northumbria Ambulance Service national health service trust.
Health Centres
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many health centres in each of the
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English regional health authority areas have been sold to general practitioners in each year since 1987;(2) what assessment she has made of the benefits and disbenefits of selling health centres to general practitioners.
Mr. Sackville: Regional health authorities and national health service trusts should regularly review their property portfolios in the context of how patient services should best be provided. Decisions about sales are for regional health authorities or individual NHS trusts to make. There are no figures available centrally showing how many sales of health centres to general practitioners have been completed since 1987.
Community Care
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department is undertaking into use by local authorities of the independent sector in their provision of community care services.
Mr. Bowis: Local authority use of the independent sector is continuously monitored through regular statistics collected by the Department on residential accommodation and day and domiciliary services, which separately identify services provided by the independent sector.
The Department has also commissioned research on the mixed economy of care, which will look at local authority provision in all sectors.
Accident and Emergency Units
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients admitted to accident and emergency units were aged 75 years or over in each year since 1991.
Mr. Sackville: The information is shown in the table.
Ordinary admissions and day cases: accident and emergency
|75 and
|75 and |over
|All ages |over |(per cent.)
------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |82,015 |12,875 |15.7
1991-92 |83,173 |13,077 |15.7
1992-93 |83,281 |12,632 |15.2
Cold Weather Deaths
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of deaths for each of the years 1980 to 1994 linked to cold weather; and what percentage of those people were aged over 60 years.
Mr. Bowis: No estimate of deaths linked to cold weather can be made.
Cot Deaths
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration has been given by her Department to the funding of a television advertising campaign advising parents of the steps that can be taken significantly to reduce the risk of cot deaths; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville: The use of television and press advertising was an essential element of the "Back to Sleep" campaign launched in 1991, when the advice being promoted about a baby's sleeping position represented a significant departure from most parents' practice at the time. The success of this approach is evident both from the dramatic fall in the number of cot deaths that has since occurred--from 1,008 in 1991 to 442 in 1993, England and Wales--and from recent evidence about changes that have taken place in infant care practice. Now that the message about sleeping position has become widely accepted, the Government consider that the current initiatives designed to provide comprehensive advice represent a practicable means of helping parents.
Advice on reducing the risks is widely available. First, good practice advice on baby care is available to pregnant women and new parents through direct contact with midwives, health visitors, general practitioners, obstetricians, and paediatricians in the course of routine care. Secondly, advice is included in the Health Education Authority's publications, the Pregnancy Book given free to first-time pregnant women, and Birth to Five , given free to first-time parents. Thirdly, the Department of Health leaflet, Reducing the Risk of Cot Death , continues to be available and almost 5 million have been distributed to date.
The recently announced national anti-smoking campaign managed by the Health Education Authority further supports initiatives on cot death. The campaign, which is intended to reduce smoking among adults, and especially parents, is particularly relevant to cot death as smoking is known to be a major risk factor.
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what amount of correspondence she has received on the issue of cot deaths over (a) the last 12 months and (b) since 17 November 1994.
Mr. Sackville: Information on the amount of correspondence received in the Department as at 17 January in which this subject was the primary topic, is contained in the table.
l
Date |Numbers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 January 1994 to |Correspondence answered by
17 January 1995 | Ministers |172
|Correspondence answered by
| officials |235
17 November 1994 |Correspondence answered by
to 17 January 1995 | Ministers |152
|Correspondence answered by
| officials |188
Purchasing in Practice"
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of the first issue of the NHS Executive's publication "Purchasing in Practice" were published; how much they cost to design, print and distribute; and how frequently the NHS Executive intends to produce this publication in future.
Mr. Sackville: A total of 20,000 copies of the first issue of the National Health Service Executive's bi-monthly newsletter, "Purchasing in Practice", were issued in December 1994 at a unit cost of 65 pence for design, printing and distribution. We regard this publication as a vital part of keeping all interested parties, particularly health authorities and general practitioner fundholders, informed about new developments to ensure health care purchasing is developed for the benefit of all patients.
Illegal Employment (Children)
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will commission a study of the extent of the illegal employment of children.
Mr. Bowis: No. No significant evidence has been submitted to us to suggest that this is a problem in England.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent of the illegal employment of children as defined by the Employment of Children Act 1973.
Mr. Bowis: The framework of protection in England for children who work is contained in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. Detailed controls are in local authority byelaws. We are aware of no significant evidence that the illegal employment of children is a widespread problem. The situation in Scotland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will review the reporting by proper authorities of suspected illegal employment of children.
Mr. Bowis: It is for local authorities to take what action they think necessary to control the employment of children.
Multiple Sclerosis
Mr. Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration her Department has given to evidence gained in the United States of America or in any other country in regard to the value of the drug beta interferon in the treatment of multiple sclerosis; and whether she concludes from the evidence that the drug is of sufficient value to justify an early decision to license it for use within the national health service.
Mr. Sackville: Several companies are developing interferons for use in multiple sclerosis. These will be handled through the new European centralised licensing procedure-regulation 2309/93. Expert advice will be taken through the European procedure on all the evidence supplied, regardless of source country, to determine whether the product should receive an authorisation for use in countries within the European Union.
Mr. Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients will be involved in trials of new drugs
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designed to assist those suffering from multiple sclerosis; and when it is expected that these trials will be completed.Mr. Sackville: At least seven new drugs are currently undergoing clinical trials in patients with multiple sclerosis. Since many of the trials are on-going, it is not possible to give the numbers of patients involved nor to give information on the completion dates of the trials.
Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema
Mr. Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 11 January, Official Report , column 145 , if she will consult with the relevant professional bodies in regard to the need to use suitable X-ray film for the detection of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Mr. Sackville: The Department would need more information before it could have a meaningful discussion with the relevant professional bodies. If the hon. member would care to write giving full details consideration will be given to opening discussions with the profession.
National Blood Authority
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total cost of writing to all blood donors about the reorganisation of the National Blood Authority.
Mr. Sackville: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 9 December 1994 at column 400.
Patients' Complaints
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 12 December, Official Report, column 323, on patient complaints, if she will now publish the information for 1993 94.
Mr. Malone: Information on patient complaints for 1993 94 will be published as soon as possible.
NHS Expenditure
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 9 December 1994, Official Report, column 401, on NHS expenditure, how much has been spent on private psychiatric care in each year since 1991 92.
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally.
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Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter on private health insurance of 1 December 1994 to the Minister for Health.
Mr. Malone: I replied on 17 January 1995.
Secure Beds
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric beds and medium secure beds there were nationally and in each region in each of the last five years.
Mr. Bowis [holding answer 13 January 1995]: The information requested will be placed in the Library.
Eye Tests
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the savings to the national health service budget since the abolition of the free eye test; and what would be the cost of restoring the free eye test (i) to all, (ii) to those over 60 years and (iii) those aged 65 years and over.
Mr. Malone [holding answer 13 January 1995]: Assuming the trend in sight tests apparent before the announcement of changes in November 1987, it is estimated that £70 million was saved in 1989 90 by restricting entitlement to national health service sight tests. On the basis that this trend continues, and with the sight test fees remaining at the 1994 95 level, the cost of restoring free sight tests is estimated to be in the order of:
a) all people: £110 million
b) those aged 60 and over: £30 million
c) those aged 65 and over: £20 million
Nurses
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give for each year since 1981, on the same basis as tables A and C of "Statistical Bulletin 1944/11", the total numbers of whole time equivalent qualified and unqualified nurses and midwives, the total numbers of learners and the total numbers of other nurses and midwives employed in (a) the hospital and community health services, (b) the family health services and (c) private hospitals, nursing homes and clinics, and also the total numbers of Project 2000 students in each year.
Mr. Malone [holding answer 16 January 1995]: The information is shown in the tables.
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Table I: Nursing and Midwifery staff by qualification (excluding agency staff and
Projected 2000 students) England as at
30 September each year
whole-time equivalents
|1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total nurses and midwives |388,010|394,040|394,680|393,740|397,030|397,240|397,910
Qualified |212,100|219,300|223,310|227,740|234,130|236,770|239,360
Unqualified |95,410 |94,190 |92,510 |90,160 |91,640 |92,250 |93,980
Learners |80,510 |80,560 |78,860 |75,850 |71,160 |68,220 |64,560
Unknown |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
R
whole-time equivalents
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total nurses and midwives |397,650|398,050|395,360|392,200|378,790|361,460
Qualified |241,780|244,220|242,340|243,250|246,570|241,850
Unqualified |92,930 |91,730 |90,450 |90,550 |90,850 |91,950
Learners |62,940 |62,100 |58,840 |47,340 |34,740 |21,040
Unknown |- |- |3,730 |11,050 |6,630 |6,620
Source:
PD(STATS) B Non-Medical Workforce Census
Table Ia: Project 2000 students England as at 30 September
each year
whole-time equivalents
|1981|1982|1983|1984|1985|1986|1987
--------------------------------------------------------------
Project 2000 students |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
whole-time equivalents
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project 2000 students |- |- |3,000 |10,500|18,300|28,000
Source:
PD(STATS)B Non-Medical Workforce Census.
Table II Nursing and midwifery staff in the NHS and private sector hospitals, homes and clinics (
excluding agency staff) England as at
September each year
whole-time equivalents
|1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total NHS and private sector |308,750|337,560|343,150|349,250|364,070|376,470|336,110
Total qualified staff |213,340|232,960|238,720|245,110|254,690|260,950|242,130
NHS:
HCHS qualified staff |212,100|219,300|223,310|227,740|234,130|236,770|239,360
HCHS unqualified staff |95,410 |94,180 |92,510 |90,160 |91,640 |92,250 |93,980
FHS practice nurses |1,240 |1,450 |1,660 |1,920 |2,210 |2,500 |2,770
Private hospitals, homes, clinics:
qualified staff |n/a |12,210 |13,750 |15,450 |18,350 |21,680 |n/a
unqualified staff |n/a |10,420 |11,920 |13,990 |17,730 |23,270 |n/a
Whole-time equivalents
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total NHS and Private Sector |394,640|408,140|419,010|435,160|451,820|464,200
Total Qualified Staff |271,100|277,920|282,470|289,340|297,050|297,980
NHS:
HCHS qualified staff |241,780|244,220|242,340|243,250|246,570|241,850
HCHS unqualified staff |92,930 |91,730 |90,450 |90,550 |90,850 |91,950
FHS practice nurses |3,480 |4,630 |7,700 |8,780 |9,120 |9,600
Private hospitals, homes, clinics:
qualified staff |25,840 |29,070 |32,430 |37,310 |41,360 |46,530
unqualified staff |30,610 |38,490 |46,100 |55,270 |63,920 |74,270
Source:
Nursing and Midwifery: PD(STATS)B Non-Medical Workforce Census.
FHS Practice Nurses: General Medical Practitioners Census.
Private Sector Nursing: Annual K036 returns.
Notes:
1. All figures are rounded to the nearest ten whole-time equivalents.
2. Totals may not equal sum of their component parts due to rounding.
3. Table II excludes learners and `other' nursing and midwifery staff.
4. All nursing and midwifery figures exclude agency staff.
5. (-) denotes a zero value.
6. (n/a) denotes the figure is unavailable.
7. In Table II the figures for `Total qualified staff', 1988 and 1993, differ from those
published in the Statistical Bulletin 1994/11 due to practice nurses being incorrectly
excluded from the total in Table `C' of the Statistical Bulletin. The `HCHS qualified
staff' and `HCHS unqualified staff' figures for 1988 in Table II have also been amended in
this parliamentary question.
EDUCATION
Tribunal Decisions
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list by college and by individual case the number of industrial tribunal and fair employment tribunal applications lodged against further education colleges in England for each year since 1990; how many cases have been upheld against the further education colleges; how many cases have resulted in a settlement which has involved payments being made by an education and library board; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell: Information concerning industrial tribunal matters is not held by this Department. Industrial tribunals are the responsibility of the Employment Department. Education and library boards are not a matter for this Department.
School Finances
Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list by local education authority the total amount of balances held by schools in England.
Mr. Robin Squire: For the financial year ending on 31 March 1994, the following table provides the information requested in respect of all LEAs from whom the Department has received outturn statements prepared for that year under section 42 of the Education Reform Act 1988.
Total balances in schools-Year ending 31 March 1994 LEA |Balance £K ---------------------------------------------- Avon |19,624 Barking/Dagenham |1,707 Barnet |4,279 Barnsley |3,046 Bedfordshire |8,297 Berkshire |7,985 Bexley |2,013 Birmingham |16,696 Bolton |2,291 Bradford |5,632 Brent |4,545 Bromley |3,134 Buckinghamshire |5,254 Bury |2,225 Calderdale |2,330 Cambridgeshire |6,585 Camden |N/A Cheshire |16,196 City of London |38 Cleveland |8,169 Cornwall |7,241 Coventry |4,802 Croydon |N/A Cumbria |2,844 Derbyshire |12,475 Devon |10,340 Doncaster |4,735 Dorset |12,301 Dudley |1,317 Durham |7,799 Ealing |2,971 East Sussex |5,990 Enfield |4,778 Essex |23,612 Gateshead |1,577 Gloucestershire |6,240 Greenwich |N/A Hackney |2,171 Hammersmith/Fulham |2,366 Hampshire |25,542 Haringey |3,352 Harrow |1,640 Havering |3,544 Hereford/Worcestershire |13,855 Hertfordshire |20,397 Hillingdon |2,231 Hounslow |4,969 Humberside |7,764 Isle of Wight |1,487 Isles of Scilly |N/A Islington |N/A Kensington/Chelsea |1,386 Kent |11,675 Kingston |774 Kirklees |3,868 Knowsley |2,078 Lambeth |5,325 Lancashire |32,976 Leeds |4,587 Leicestershire |15,750 Lewisham |4,270 Lincolnshire |6,891 Liverpool |N/A Manchester |3,146 Merton |2,996 Newcastle |4,271 Newham |4,694 Norfolk |9,199 North Tyneside |372 North Yorkshire |11,470 Northamptonshire |10,067 Northumberland |3,667 Nottinghamshire |15,275 Oldham |322 Oxfordshire |11,951 Redbridge |3,247 Richmond |2,440 Rochdale |211 Rotherham |930 Salford |2,456 Sandwell |5,742 Sefton |5,584 Sheffield |5,116 Shropshire |N/A Solihull |4,504 Somerset |6,665 South Tyneside |1,861 Southwark |3,513 St. Helens |3,941 Staffordshire |9,160 Stockport |2,741 Suffolk |13,500 Sunderland |1,897 Surrey |4,986 Sutton |1,303 Tameside |1,303 Tower Hamlets |8,189 Trafford |1,055 Wakefield |3,643 Walsall |3,594 Waltham Forest |N/A Wandsworth |3,228 Warwickshire |N/A West Sussex |4,499 Westminster |3,195 Wigan |4,144 Wiltshire |7,341 Wirral |3,249 Wolverhampton |4,155 Notes to table: 1.The figures, derived from outturn statements prepared by LEAs for 1993-94 cover all county and voluntary schools, and special schools in the case of the eight LEAs whose LMS schemes covered them in 1993-94. They also include the final balances shown in respect of schools which became grant-maintained during the course of the financial year. 2.All figures represent surplusses net of deficits. 3."N/A" denotes that the LEA's outturn statement has not yet been made available to the Department.
Higher Education Students
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the estimate of the total number of full time students in higher education not living in their family or parental home in each of the last five years.
Mr. Boswell: Data on the numbers of full time students in higher education not living in their parental or family home are not collected centrally. However, local education authorities in England and Wales provide data on the various rates of grant paid by them in mandatory awards made to students domiciled in their areas. Award holders living with their parents while attending their courses normally receive a parental home rate of grant. Students who live away from the parental home while studying normally receive a different rate, as do those who are treated for awards purposes as independent of their parents and who live in their own homes while attending their courses. The numbers of award holders not in receipt of the parental home rate in the academic years 1988 89 to 1992 93--the latest year for which data are available--are shown in the table.
Number of mandatory award holders not in receipt of the parental home rate of grant<1> England and Wales 1988-89 to 1992-93 Academic year |Number ------------------------------------------ 1988-89 |288,200 1989-90 |302,500 1990-91 |443,900 1991-92 |496,700 1993-93 |583,800 <1>The table includes students who receive partial or nil maintenance grants because of high parental or other income.
Student Housing
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what study has been undertaken of the need for, and provision for, student housing in England and Wales.
Mr. Boswell: We are not aware of any studies of student residential accommodation needs and provision in England and Wales. These are matters for universities and colleges which, as independent, autonomous bodies, are responsible for making their own decisions about any student accommodation requirements for their students.
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Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many new units of accommodation for students in higher education have been provided in each of the last five years.
Mr. Boswell: The information is not collected centrally.
National Curriculum
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if she will set the proficiency standards in safety skills and survival required by key stage 2 in respect of school swimming; how she intends to ensure these standards are met; and what resources are made available;
(2) in respect of each local education authority, what assessment she has made of the achievement in respect of safety and skills and survival in respect of key stage 2 of the national curriculum; and which authorities and schools have failed to meet these standards.
Mr. Forth: The revised national curriculum for physical education requires that, by the age of 11, all pupils should be taught to swim unaided, competently and safely, for at least 25 m. They should also be taught the principles and skills of water safety and survival. These requirements begin to come into effect on 1 August 1996. Detailed advice on safe practice in the teaching of swimming is included in the handbook "Safe Practice in Physical Education", which was first published in 1985 by the British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education. A revised edition of the handbook was published in 1990 with the approval and recommendation of the, then, Department of Education and Science. The handbook includes advice about recommended teacher-tutor qualifications, supervision, pupils behaviour, pool safety and equipment. The handbook is currently subject to further revision and will be republished later this year.
The proficiency of individual pupils in reaching the standards prescribed in the national curriculum for physical education will be assessed by their teachers under arrangements which will be given statutory force in due course. The regular cycle of four-yearly inspections by the Office for Standards in Education will look, among other things, at each school's effectiveness in implementing the national curriculum, including the national curriculum for physical education. My right hon. Friend expects to begin to receive information about the standards achieved in relation to the national curriculum requirements, including safety skills, from the 1996 97 school year when these requirements come into force.
The Government have already supported with specific grant £900 million of local authority expenditure on the implementation of the national curriculum since 1989. It is up to schools and local education authorities to decide how to deploy their total resources in the light of local priorities and needs.
Sixth Forms
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the Government's policy on the minimum number of students required for a viable sixth form.
Mr. Boswell: The number of students required for a sixth form to be viable will vary according to the circumstances of individual schools.
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