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Column 359
1990 1991 1992
Mentions Mentions Mentions
|Main |Contributory|Main |Contributory|Main |Contributory
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January |27 |29 |37 |52 |21 |28
February |21 |29 |62 |61 |26 |35
March |23 |19 |35 |19 |21 |10
April |7 |19 |21 |20 |15 |15
May |16 |10 |17 |15 |10 |11
June |7 |7 |12 |10 |6 |6
July |3 |4 |12 |8 |2 |9
August |1 |5 |2 |3 |4 |3
September |4 |3 |5 |3 |5 |8
October |5 |9 |6 |16 |3 |14
November |13 |15 |15 |18 |12 |20
December |18 |40 |18 |28 |20 |33
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Deprivation Payments
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budgets have been available for deprivation payments to GPs in each year since the scheme was introduced; and what relationship exists between nationally assessed patterns of deprivations and changes in his Department's budget for such payments. [37420]
Mr. Malone: General practitioners' deprivation payments are not made from a cash-limited budget, but depend on the number of patients living in under-privileged areas as classified by the Jarman index. These payments are adjusted each year for population movements. Areas were reclassified this year to allow for the use of 1991 census data in the index. The table gives the annual payments in England since the scheme was introduced.
GMS expenditure deprivation payments England England |£000s --------------------------------- 1990-91 |28,759.606 1991-92 |30,906.801 1992-93 |33,063.471 1993-94 |34,129.284
Prescribing
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in what circumstances general practitioners are required to contribute towards the full cost of treatment prescribed for patients. [37583]
Mr. Malone: General practitioner fundholders are expected to meet their prescribing costs from allocated budgets. However, health authorities hold contingency reserves for exceptional, uncontrollable or unforeseeable changes in prescribing expenditure.
Trade Union Meetings
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings there have been since 1 September
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1993 between the Secretary of State for Health or another Minister and a representative of a trade union; and if he will indicate the subject matter of each meeting. [37379]Mr. Malone: Ministers regularly meet health service and other trade unions about a wide range of issues. The full information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
GP Lists
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Heath, pursuant to his answer of 21 June, Official Report , column 259 , how many patients have been deregistered by their general practitioners or by family health services authorities at the request of the doctor in each three-month period for which figures are available. [37374]
Mr. Malone: Data on patient movements, including those removed from a general practitioner's list at the request of the doctor, are collected on an annualised basis. The information requested is not available centrally.
Management Costs
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the difference between the findings of the Audit Commission report on expenditure on management trusts and information provided through parliamentary questions on expenditure on general and senior managers. [37427]
Mr. Malone: My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Health confirmed on 7 June 1995 that national health service trusts would publish information about their management costs, based on the Audit Commission's M1 definition, in their annual reports and accounts. These management costs in trusts relate to the salaries of all those managers, excluding clinicians, earning over £20,000 per annum, those in a few specified posts regardless of salary, and the cost of management consultancy. In its report "A Price on their Heads: Measuring Management Costs in NHS Trusts", published on 7 June, the Audit Commission gave the average figure for senior management costs in trusts in England and Wales for 1993 94 as 4 per cent. of their net revenue expenditure. We shall be publishing later this year figures for all trusts for 1994 95.
Comparable figures have not been provided before in answers to parliamentary questions. Information on NHS management costs has previously been provided in terms of the salaries and wages of all staff paid on general and senior manager terms--regardless of what function they discharge--in regional, district, special health authorities and trusts. Total salary costs for such staff in England in the financial year 1993 94, the latest year for which figures are available, were 4.4 per cent. of the total pay bill.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced on 11 October that he was seeking a 5 per cent. cash reduction--8 per cent. in real terms--in the costs of running health authorities and in NHS trust management costs is 1996 97 compared with planned spending in 1995 96. The savings from reducing these costs, which amount to some £140 million in real terms, will be available for patient care.
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In the case of health authorities, we shall require nationally the costs of new authorities to be contained within a ceiling of £450 million. NHS executive regional offices will be responsible for agreeing cost figures for individual authorities.For NHS trusts, the target will relate to the Audit Commission's M2 definition of management and administration costs which extends to include the salary costs of all staff in corporate functions. We shall be looking to each trust to set out in its business plan its cost limits on this basis and to publish these costs in its annual report in future.
General and Senior Managers
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 19 July, Official Report , column 1289 , what is his Department's estimate of the increase in general and senior managers between 1991 and 1992 and between 1992 and 1993. [37409]
Mr. Malone: For the number of general and senior managers in the national health service in England in 1991, 1992 and 1993, I refer the right hon. Member to the statistical bulletin for NHS hospital and community health services non-medical staff in England for 1982 to 1992 and 1983 to 1993, copies of which are in the Library.
Private Sector Health Care
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 22 June, Official Report , column 260, what has been the average expenditure per district health authority and per family health services authority on purchasing care from the private sector in each year since 1990 91; and what proportion of such expenditure is estimated to be purchases from the voluntary or non-profit sector. [37426]
Mr. Sackville: The information is not collected centrally.
Ambulance Services
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance services have motor cycle paramedics; how many are currently being trained; what information has been gathered about their performance; what plans are in train for London; and if he will make a statement on their contribution to the ambulance service as a whole. [37234]
Mr. Sackville: The information is not available centrally. It is for ambulance services to decide on the value of motor cycle paramedics in their area. The London ambulance service, along with other services, considers motor cycle paramedics to be a valuable first response service for the seriously ill and injured.
Bed Occupancy
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information about occupancy rates within different types of bed, defined as acute, geriatric and mentally ill, the Department collects; and what has been the change in occupancy rate over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on occupancy rates of over 100 per cent. [37235]
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Mr. Sackville: Information on bed occupancy rates is not collected centrally. Information on bed days--completed episodes by clinical speciality in national health service hospitals in England is published each year in "Hospital Episode Statistics, Volume 1". Information for the years 1988 89 to 1993 94 are available in the Library.
Winter Deaths
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the excess winter death rates were in England in 1993 94 and 1994 95; and if he will make a statement on factors influencing the rate and what initiatives the Government have undertaken in the last five years to affect the rate. [37376]
Mr. Sackville: The excess winter death index for 1993 94 in England and Wales is 14.2. The figure for 1994 95 is not yet available. The index expresses the number of excess winter deaths as a percentage of the average of the number of deaths in the preceding autumn and following summer periods. Excess winter mortality is a complex phenomenon which cannot be directly correlated to cold weather.
The Government have continued to fund the highly successful "Keep Warm, Keep Well" campaign, which provides a freephone advice line throughout the winter months. The accompanying brochure, which is available in 11 languages, provides information on financial help, home insulation, heating, and other measures to combat the effects of cold weather, including vaccination against flu.
Ministerial Visits
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 20 March, Official Report, column 40, how many (a) locality or joint commissioning projects and (b) fundholding practices he or his Ministers have visited in the past 12 months. [37377]
Mr. Malone: Ministers visited around 50 general practitioner premises in the past 12 months. Visits to fundholding and non-fundholding practices are not recorded separately. Ministers also met general practitioners in a wide range of meetings organised by health authorities and national organisations of various kinds, as well as at conferences, some organised by specialist GP organisations. There is no standard definition of locality or joint commissioning projects.
Ministerial Meetings
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 24 April, Official Report, column 322, how many meetings there have been since 31 March between the Secretary of State or another Minister and representatives of private health insurance companies; and if he will make a statement on the discussions. [37378]
Mr. Sackville: One such meeting has taken place. My hon. Friend the Minister for Health met representatives of Private Patients Plan--PPP--on 13 July 1995.
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Beta-interferon
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will detail the guidelines and financial arrangements he is making to ensure that the drug beta-interferon can be prescribed to patients suffering from multiple sclerosis who are assessed as likely to benefit from it. [37578]
Mr. Malone: No beta-interferon drug has been licensed for use in the United Kingdom. A licence application for one such drug is currently being considered within the European centralised licensing procedure. The Department of Health is developing guidance to help the national health service plan for the introduction of the drug, subject to the outcome of the licence application.
Specialist Medical Training
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with the implementation of the specialist medical training reforms recommended by the chief medical officer's working party on specialist medical training. [38730]
Mr. Dorrell: In November 1993, my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Health announced that the Government accepted in principle the recommendations made by the working party on specialist medical training chaired by the chief medical officer. In accordance with the time scale set out in the report, the new specialist registrar grade will be launched on 1 December 1995 in the two vanguard specialties of general surgery and diagnostic radiology. The main specialty commissioning date will be 1 April 1996 and I envisage that all specialties will have begun the transition process to the new grade by 1 April 1997. Detailed guidance will be issued to the national health service shortly to enable the regional deans of postgraduate medicine to spearhead the changes in training programmes needed to deliver the specialist training curricula recently formulated by the medical royal colleges.
Training standards will be overseen by the new specialist training authority of the medical royal colleges, shortly to be established. As well as maintaining standards, the specialist training authority will be responsible for awarding the new certificates of completion of specialist training. These will for the first time provide the defined end point for specialist training required to ensure that all those competing for NHS consultant posts have completed their training properly. Obtaining the CCST will entitle the fully trained doctor to be admitted to the specialist register, which will be kept by the General Medical Council. There will be other routes to the specialist register, for existing NHS consultants as part of the transitional process and for doctors who have followed an unconventional but acceptable training pathway, possibly via research or academic medicine involving a high degree of specialisation at an early stage of training. The GMC will continue to have the statutory duty of co- ordinating all stages of medical education.
I have considered the resource implications of these changes carefully; while there is no need for any overall increase in NHS funds to pay for them, I am considering the need for some short-term investment in additional
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training programmes to enable trusts to be able to recruit extra consultants. Decisions will be announced later at the appropriate point in the general NHS allocation process.Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the functions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [38731]
Mr. Sackville: It is Government policy that all non-departmental public bodies should be reviewed after five years in existence. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority held its first meeting on 4 October 1990 and became fully operational on 1 August 1991. A full review of the authority by the Department of Health has started. A copy of the terms of reference has been placed in the Library.
NHS Early Retirement
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 18 July, Official Report , columns 13 14 , if he will make a further statement about the numbers of NHS staff who took early retirement. [38732]
Mr. Sackville: I regret that there were errors in the previous reply. The correct information is as follows:
The number of people taking early retirement age 50 and over, except those retiring because of ill-health in each of the last three years is:
1991 92: 2,818
1992 93: 3,313
1993 94: 5,837
National health service employers meet the full cost of paying these benefits early, including any compensation amounts. The total costs in each of the last three years are:
1991 92: £19,222,371
1992 93: £27,065,579
1993 94: £42,522,384
The cost of ill-health retirement is not charged to NHS employers. The number of people taking ill-health retirement in each of the last three years is:
1991 92: 7,323
1992 93: 8,327
1993 94: 9,520
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Schools (Fire Safety)
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment she has made of the continuing adequacy of the current regulations made under the Education Act 1944 for ensuring the safety of schools and their occupants in case of fire. [37761]
Mrs. Gillan: A number of requirements relating to fire safety in school buildings are set out in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981, which are made under section 10 of the Education Act 1944. These requirements have been retained and repeated in the
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revised version of those regulations, which subject to the approval of Parliament, will enter into force from next January. Buildings which comply with the requirements will provide an adequate level of protection against fire.Detailed guidance about fire and the design of educational buildings appears in the Department's "Building Bulletin 7."
Teacher Absences
Dr. Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will set out the average days lost per year per teacher for each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [37643]
Mr. Robin Squire: The information requested is not available.
Pupil Exclusions
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total number of pupils permanently excluded from (a) grant-maintained schools and (b) LEA-maintained schools in each of the last five years. [36644]
Mr. Robin Squire: Returns made under the National exclusions reporting system showed that 2,910 pupils were permanently excluded from maintained schools between April 1990 and April 1991 and 3,833 between April 1991 and April 1992. A survey published by the Department in July showed that, in the academic year 1993 94, 8,960 pupils were permanently excluded from secondary schools, 1,230 from primary schools and 434 from special schools within the 101 LEAs that responded. Separate data for grant -maintained and LEA-maintained schools are not available centrally.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) secondary and (b) primary school children who have been permanently excluded have received tuition (i) at home and (ii) in a pupil referral unit in each of the last five years. [35838]
Mr. Squire: Information for each of the last five years is not available centrally.
A survey published by the Department in July showed that, during the autumn term 1994, 3,032 permanently excluded secondary and 212 primary pupils were attending pupil referral units, and 2,122 secondary and 338 primary pupils were receiving home tuition. These figures represent responses from 101 of the 109 LEAs.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) secondary and (b) primary school children have been permanently excluded in each local education authority in each of the last five years; and if she will give the figures as a proportion of the total school roll. [35837]
Mr. Squire: This information is not available centrally.
Expenditure (Calderdale)
Sir Donald Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will set out the increases in real terms for education spending for each education sector in Calderdale since 1980. [36786]
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Mr. Robin Squire: The increase or decrease in expenditure by Calderdale local education authority on pre-primary and primary education and secondary education, between 1979 80 and 1993 94, the latest year for which outturn figures are available, is shown in the table:
Calderdale LEA: Net recurrent expenditure, real terms
Year |Pre-primary and |Secondary
|primary education|education
|£000 |£000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |21,880 |24,630
1993-94 |33,366 |22,833
Increase or decrease |11,486 |-1,797
|(34.4 per cent.) |(-7.9 per cent.)
Note:
These figures exclude spending by GM schools.
Free School Meals
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of (a) primary school children and (b) secondary school children have been eligible for free school meals in the last three financial years in each English and Welsh county. [36772]
Mrs. Gillan: Information on pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in each local education authority area in England in 1993, 1994 and 1995 (provisional) is shown in the table.
Information on pupils in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
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Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals <(1)>in maintained primary
and secondary schools in each local education
authority area in England
1993 1994 1995
(provisional)
|Primary |Secondary|Primary |Secondary|Primary |Secondary
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporation of London |53 |n/a |51 |n/a |54 |n/a
Camden |42 |30 |44 |27 |43 |27
Greenwich |37 |34 |39 |36 |39 |37
Hackney |51 |56 |53 |59 |54 |66
Hammersmith |43 |33 |46 |36 |48 |38
Islington |51 |50 |48 |52 |49 |55
Kensington and Chelsea |39 |36 |41 |41 |44 |41
Lambeth |44 |48 |47 |51 |47 |53
Lewisham |37 |38 |39 |40 |38 |40
Southwark |45 |52 |45 |56 |48 |57
Tower Hamlets |59 |65 |58 |64 |60 |66
Wandsworth |34 |33 |35 |35 |36 |35
Westminster |42 |36 |45 |44 |47 |44
Barking |22 |16 |25 |19 |26 |22
Barnet |19 |13 |17 |15 |18 |15
Bexley |16 |9 |16 |11 |16 |12
Brent |27 |25 |29 |27 |30 |28
Bromley |16 |11 |18 |13 |18 |14
Croydon |23 |15 |25 |19 |26 |21
Ealing |25 |25 |26 |30 |27 |32
Enfield |19 |16 |21 |19 |22 |21
Haringey |35 |39 |38 |40 |39 |42
Harrow |10 |12 |11 |14 |11 |14
Havering |13 |9 |14 |10 |15 |11
Hillingdon |10 |12 |12 |13 |12 |14
Hounslow |21 |18 |25 |21 |26 |22
Kingston upon Thames |8 |8 |9 |9 |9 |10
Merton |19 |16 |21 |19 |22 |20
Newham |32 |36 |36 |39 |37 |43
Redbridge |17 |13 |21 |17 |19 |17
Richmond upon Thames |12 |14 |17 |16 |13 |17
Sutton |12 |7 |14 |9 |14 |8
Waltham Forest |32 |32 |34 |34 |33 |36
Birmingham |36 |31 |36 |32 |37 |35
Coventry |28 |22 |28 |24 |26 |24
Dudley |18 |15 |19 |17 |18 |17
Sandwell |28 |24 |29 |25 |29 |26
Solihull |17 |10 |17 |12 |17 |12
Walsall |29 |24 |27 |25 |27 |24
Wolverhampton |29 |25 |28 |25 |27 |25
Knowsley |47 |51 |46 |52 |48 |53
Liverpool |39 |38 |40 |39 |42 |41
St. Helens |24 |16 |24 |17 |24 |18
Sefton |23 |20 |23 |21 |24 |22
Wirral |28 |25 |29 |26 |31 |27
Bolton |25 |16 |22 |16 |22 |17
Bury |18 |13 |18 |14 |18 |14
Manchester |47 |42 |49 |43 |48 |45
Oldham |28 |22 |28 |54 |28 |24
Rochdale |28 |27 |30 |29 |31 |29
Salford |35 |24 |36 |26 |35 |27
Stockport |18 |14 |17 |14 |18 |16
Tameside |24 |19 |24 |20 |25 |20
Trafford |19 |19 |20 |20 |19 |21
Wigan |21 |17 |21 |18 |21 |18
Barnsley |26 |22 |27 |23 |27 |23
Doncaster |27 |21 |28 |23 |28 |24
Rotherham |24 |17 |25 |19 |25 |19
Sheffield |32 |24 |28 |24 |28 |25
Bradford |27 |30 |27 |31 |27 |31
Calderdale |21 |16 |22 |18 |23 |19
Kirklees |22 |17 |23 |18 |23 |19
Leeds |20 |18 |21 |19 |22 |19
Wakefield |20 |16 |21 |17 |20 |18
Gateshead |29 |24 |30 |25 |29 |26
Newcastle upon Tyne |40 |27 |41 |27 |40 |28
North Tyneside |23 |17 |24 |18 |25 |19
South Tyneside |35 |24 |36 |26 |37 |27
Sunderland |30 |24 |29 |26 |30 |28
Isles of Scilly |5 |3 |6 |36 |11 |40
Avon |22 |15 |21 |16 |20 |14
Bedfordshire |20 |15 |21 |17 |21 |17
Berkshire |13 |7 |14 |9 |14 |9
Buckinghamshire |8 |7 |9 |9 |9 |9
Cambridgeshire |16 |12 |17 |13 |17 |13
Cheshire |16 |11 |17 |12 |17 |12
Cleveland |29 |25 |30 |38 |31 |28
Cornwall |19 |15 |19 |16 |19 |16
Cumbria |15 |10 |16 |12 |17 |12
Derbyshire |18 |13 |24 |14 |18 |14
Devon |20 |12 |21 |13 |20 |13
Dorset |9 |9 |10 |10 |9 |10
Durham |25 |16 |25 |17 |25 |20
East Sussex |21 |16 |22 |18 |21 |17
Essex |17 |11 |19 |12 |18 |13
Gloucestershire |16 |10 |17 |11 |15 |10
Hampshire |17 |10 |17 |11 |16 |11
Hereford and Worcester |10 |8 |11 |10 |11 |10
Hertfordshire |13 |9 |14 |10 |14 |10
Humberside |22 |17 |24 |17 |22 |18
Isle of Wight |25 |18 |27 |21 |24 |19
Kent |17 |12 |19 |13 |19 |14
Lancashire |26 |18 |25 |20 |24 |20
Leicestershire |24 |12 |18 |13 |18 |13
Lincolnshire |8 |9 |8 |10 |8 |10
Norfolk |20 |10 |17 |11 |17 |11
North Yorkshire |29 |7 |12 |7 |12 |8
Northamptonshire |11 |10 |12 |13 |13 |13
Northumberland |20 |12 |19 |13 |19 |13
Nottinghamshire |23 |18 |25 |20 |25 |21
Oxfordshire |13 |9 |13 |10 |12 |9
Shropshire |18 |12 |18 |14 |18 |14
Somerset |12 |10 |13 |11 |13 |11
Staffordshire |19 |13 |20 |13 |20 |14
Suffolk |15 |11 |16 |12 |16 |12
Surrey |11 |6 |12 |7 |11 |8
Warwickshire |14 |8 |15 |9 |14 |9
West Sussex |15 |8 |15 |9 |15 |9
Wiltshire |16 |9 |15 |10 |15 |10
England |22 |16 |22 |18 |22 |18
<1> Day pupils known to be eligible for a free school mean as a percentage of day pupils on
roll
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Student Loans
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of students applied for student loans in each academic year since the inception of the student loan scheme; how many former students have started to repay their loans; and how many
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former students have refused to repay any of their loan although able to do so. [37154]Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is the total amount of loans outstanding under the student loan scheme; and how much has been repaid to date; [37252]
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(2) how many students have now received loans under the students loan scheme. [37251]Mr. Forth: This is a matter for the Student Loans Company. I have asked the acting chief executive to write to the hon. Members.
Modern Manufacturing Apprenticeship Scheme
Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the total Government expenditure to date upon the modern manufacturing apprenticeship scheme. [37247]
Mr. Paice: This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what changes she proposes to the rules regarding sale of assets by grant-maintained schools. [37063]
Mr. Robin Squire: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 12 September 1995 that, as from next April, grant-maintained schools will be able to retain the full proceeds from the disposal of surplus assets. We are consulting widely on the proposed change and it is, therefore, too early to say how the new arrangements will work.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total number of pupils in grant-maintained schools eligible to bid for capital grant for named projects in each financial year from 1990 91 to 1995 96; and what was the total number of pupils in local education association maintained schools at the same time. [55807]
Mr. Squire: Schools which have become grant- maintained by January of a given calendar year are eligible to bid for grant for the financial year commencing the following April. The figures in this table give the total number of pupils in grant-maintained and local authority maintained schools each January from 1990 to 1995.
Year |Total pupils (GM)|Total pupils (LA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1990-91 |13,731 |6,926,487 1991-92 |36,445 |6,955,710 1992-93 |108,995 |6,978,421 1993-94 |243,023 |6,979,743 1994-95 |556,699 |6,712,078 1995-96<1> |663,100 |6,734,000 <1> Provisional data.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total amount paid to grant-maintained schools in special purpose grant (restructuring); and in each case, (a) how many schools received grant, (b) how many head teacher posts were affected, (c) how many teaching posts were affected and (d) how many other posts were affected for each of the financial years 1989 90 to 1994 95. [36150]
Mr. Squire: The Funding Agency for Schools assumed responsibility on 1 April 1994 for the calculation and payment of special purpose grants to grant-maintained
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schools. It also holds data for previous years. I have asked the chairman of the Funding Agency to write to the hon. Member.Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how may copies have been produced and, in each case, at what total cost of (a) "Going GM: A Brief Guide" and (b) the updated edition of "How to become a Grant-Maintained School". [36185]
Mrs. Gillan: A total of 40,000 copies of "Going Grant Maintained: A Brief Guide" have been produced at a cost of some £15,800--39p per copy. A total of 15,000 copies of "How to Become a Grant-Maintained School", 1995 edition, have been produced at a cost of some £27,200, or £1.81 per copy.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 4 May, Official Report, column 286, if she will list, in chronological order, the "Going GM" conferences held by her Department on grant-maintained status since 14 March giving in each case (a) the date, (b) the location, (c) the number of schools invited, (d) the number of schools represented, (e) the number of representatives attending and (f) the cost. [35776]
Mr. Squire: The information requested is set out in the table below:
|Number of Schools|Number of Schools|Number of
Date |Location |Invited<2> |Represented |Delegates |Cost<3> £
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.05.95 |Cambridge |405 |9 |26 |3,660
19.05.95 |Bournemouth<1> |1,440 |63 |135 |6,072
05.06.95 |Bristol |1,089 |59 |135 |7,951
09.06.95 |Newcastle |1,710 |28 |49 |4,046
22.06.95 |Scarborough |1,446 |34 |72 |4,011
11.07.95 |Milton Keynes |1,437 |69 |131 |6,365
Total |32,105
<1> An earlier conference in Bournemouth on 14 March 1995 was heavily over-subscribed. This second conference was largely for
delegates who were unable to gain a place at the first.
<2> A number of schools were invited to more than one conference in order to give headteachers and governors more choice over
date and location.
<3> Costs listed are those attributable to specific conferences. In addition there is an on-going contract for support
services which for the above six conferences has totalled £41,642.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what plans her Department has to hold further "Going GM" conferences; and what financial provision has been made for further conferences.
Mr. Squire: Departmental officials are planning to hold another eight "Going GM" conferences before the end of December, at an estimated total cost to the Department of about £100,000. Plans for conferences after that date have not yet been decided.
South Thames TEC
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what decision has been reached on whether to forward to an independent body the bill submitted by the Department of Employment to the administrative receivers for South Thames TEC. [37339]
Mr. Paice: The receiver for South Thames TEC has not requested that the Department submits its bill for independent scrutiny.
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