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Special Educational Needs

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what policies he has to assist special needs children into pre-school education. [9330]

Mr. Richards: Local education authorities have the responsibility of making appropriate provision for a child under five who has been identified as having special educational needs. The code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs gives guidance on special education provision for the under fives. Our proposed voucher scheme will apply to all four-year-olds, including those with special needs.

Autism

Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the services

18 Jan 1996 : Column: 746

available to (a) children and (b) adults with autism; and what plans he has to enhance these services. [9255]

Mr. Richards: Health and local authorities are responsible for identifying individuals with autism and for the provision of appropriate services.

As part of a project to promote the development of services to people with autism in Wales, the National Autistic Society has recently completed an audit of autism-focused services in Wales. This project is supported by the Welsh Office, through the Welsh mental handicap strategy. We have considered the society's findings and have suggested that they be made available to health and unitary authorities.

Ofsted Inspectors

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Ofsted inspectors have (a) early years teaching qualifications and (b) early years teaching experience; and if he will make a statement. [9553]

Mr. Richards: Operational issues relating to the work and organisation of the Office for Standards in Education are matters for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England. By agreement with the hon. Member these questions have been referred to Mr. Woodhead.

Housing

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what grants are currently available for the conversion into dwelling houses of shops which are no longer financially viable; and if he will make a statement. [9870]

Mr. Hague: District councils may give discretionary home renovation grants to convert buildings, including shops, into dwellings. Over the past five years we have made available £20.5 million which has created more than 1,300 such dwellings. For 1996-97 councils can support such grants from the £179.6 million I have made available to them for home renovation.

Llangollen International Eisteddfod

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will support the nomination of the Llangollen international eisteddfod for the Nobel peace prize in its jubilee year; and if he will make a statement. [9871]

Mr. Hague: The Nobel committee does not reveal the identities of candidates for the peace prize. These only become known if nominators make their proposals known and I am not aware that the Llangollen international Eisteddfod has been nominated. The Nobel committee has made it clear that supporting candidates serves no purpose and could even be interpreted as an attempt unfairly to influence the committee.

Chester-Holyhead Rail Line (Electrification)

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) by what date the electrification of the railway line between (1) Chester and Holyhead is planned to be completed; and if he will make a statement; [9872]

18 Jan 1996 : Column: 747

(2) if he will make a statement concerning plans for the electrification of the railway between Chester and Holyhead. [9873]

Mr. Hague: The need, timing and method of improving the rail infrastructure is primarily a matter for Railtrack plc and its customers, the train operators. However, I understand there are currently no plans for the electrification of the railway line between Chester and Holyhead, but that other forms of upgrading the line are under review.

Mr. Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what European Community funding is available to assist the electrification of the Chester to Holyhead railway line; and if he will make a statement. [9885]

Mr. Hague: Should they decide to electrify the line Railtrack would be eligible to apply for assistance towards capital expenditure from the trans European network fund and the European Investment Bank. Loan guarantees might also be available from the European investment fund.

Teachers (Employment Costs)

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in (a) cash and (b) real terms the total employment costs of teachers in each local education authority from 1990-91 to 1995-96 and the average cost of employing a teacher in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in each of these years. [10279]

Mr. Richards: Total expenditure on teachers' salaries in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in each local education authority from 1990-91 to 1993-94 is given in the following table. This includes home teaching and individual teaching at other establishments, for example, hospitals and special units offered by social services. Information is not yet available for 1994-95 or 1995-96.

£000

	1990-91	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94
Cash
Clwyd	70,908	79,532	89,764	81,224
Dyfed	67,273	75,171	83,976	84,433
Gwent	77,978	78,954	85,859	89,638
Gwynedd	42,785	47,478	52,605	52,794
Mid Glamorgan	100,579	113,235	125,781	127,394
Powys	21,432	24,585	27,645	28,120
South Glamorgan	69,419	78,972	86,260	84,343
West Glamorgan	67,067	72,835	79,423	79,906
Total Wales	517,441	570,762	631,313	627,852
Constant 1994-95 prices
Clwyd	82,202	86,782	94,117	82,748
Dyfed	77,988	82,023	88,048	86,017
Gwent	90,398	86,151	90,023	91,320
Gwynedd	49,599	51,806	55,156	53,785
Mid Glamorgan	116,598	123,557	131,880	129,785
Powys	24,846	26,826	28,986	28,648
South Glamorgan	80,476	86,171	90,443	85,926
West Glamorgan	77,749	79,474	83,274	81,405
Total Wales	599,855	622,790	661,927	639,634

Source:

Revenue Outturn Returns.

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The average cost of employing a teacher in maintained nursery, primary, secondary, and special schools as at March of each of the years 1991 to 1994 was as follows:

	1991	1992	1993	(24)1994
	£	£	£	£
Cash	19,551	21,918	23,658	24,004
Constant 1994-95 prices	22,665	23,916	24,805	24,454

Source:

Database of Teacher Records.

Note:

(24) Latest available.

Training

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was in (a) cash and (b) real terms the training budget each year since it became a Welsh Office responsibility; how much in each year in (i) cash and (ii) real terms was directed to the training of young people; and what percentage of this budget is allocated to the training and enterprise councils. [10285]

Mr. Richards: The information requested is contained in the following tables.

Employment and training budget

	Cash	Real terms
1992-93(25)	151.9	151.9
1993-94(25)	144.7	140.6
1994-95(26)	147.4	140.6
1995-96(27)	148.7	138.0

(25) Departmental report 1995, outturn.

(26) Appropriation account 1994-95, outturn.

(27) Departmental report 1995, provision.

Youth programmes

	Cash	Real terms
1992-93(28)	42.7	42.7
1993-94(28)	40.4	39.3
1994-95(29)	39.4	37.6
1995-96(30)	48.5	45.0

(28) Departmental report 1995, outturn.

(29) Appropriation account 1994-95, outturn.

(30) Departmental report 1995, provision.

TEC youth programme budgets (as a percentage of total youth programme budgets above)

	Per cent.
1992-93	97
1993-94	99
1994-95	99
1995-96	96

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The balance of funding on this programme relates to expenditure that is borne centrally on youth bridging allowances and on the youth training follow-up survey.

Business Rate

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the impact of the uniform business rate on the occupancy of commercial premises in Llanfair Caereinion. [9879]

Mr. Hague: Business rate is only one of a number of factors which may affect the occupancy of commercial premises. Since the introduction of the 1995 rating list, numbers of empty properties, as indicated by empty property rate relief, have remained stable in Llanfair Caereinion.

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