---

Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Stevenston Bypass

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on proposals for the Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston bypass. [1736]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: In my answer to the hon. Member on 8 June 1995, Official Report, column 212 I explained that a revised design for a more northerly bypass was being developed. I expect this work to be completed soon.

Health Board Managers

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance has been issued to Scottish health boards relating to the publication of the figures for the performance-related pay element in the salaries of the general managers of these health boards. [1738]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Guidance issued in 1994 by the NHS in Scotland management executive said that any performance-related pay should be included in the total remuneration of the board general manager to be shown in the board annual report.

Scottish Homes

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current position of Scottish Homes' plans for the transfer of its housing stock within (a) the Cunninghame, South constituency and (b) Ayrshire as a whole. [1740]

23 Nov 1995 : Column: 320

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Scottish Homes local stock strategy sets out its proposals for ballot areas in Ayrshire. A copy was sent to the hon. Member. Since its publication Scottish Homes has received outline proposals and registered the interest of alternative landlords in the following ballot areas:

Cumnock etc--Shire Housing Association Steering Group Patna, Delmellington--Shire Housing Association Steering Group Drongan--Shire Housing Association Steering Group Coylebank Housing Co-op Steering Group Ardrossan--Cunninghame Housing Association Saltcoats and Stevenston

Further ballot areas have been identified for Scottish Homes houses at:

Irvine (Cunninghame South Constituency) Ayr Dailly, Girvan Kilmarnock, Stewarton Crosshouse Kilbirnie, Beith, Dalry

Outline proposals for these areas will be invited from alternative landlords during 1996.

Ravenspark Hospital, Irvine

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he anticipates approval to be given by his Department to the closure of Ravenspark hospital in Irvine. [1737]

Lord James Douglas Hamilton: Ayrshire and Arran health board's extensive public consultation exercise on the future of Ravenspark hospital ended on 30 October this year. The board expects to discuss its proposals and the outcome of the consultations at its next board meeting on 30 November. I look forward to receiving its proposals in due course.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Assisted Places

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the ownership of a house worth £500,000 renders an individual who has no current income ineligible for an assisted place for his or her child; [1000]

(2) if the ownership of a house worth £700,000 and investments of £140,000 assuming a net interest rate of 6 per cent. but no other current income renders an individual ineligible for an assisted place for his or her child. [999]

Mrs. Gillan: The selection of pupils for assisted places is carried out by participating schools. The amount of assistance available under the scheme is determined by parent's total gross income from all sources. Children would be eligible for assistance from the scheme if their parents had no current income, or if their only income was £8,400 per annum from investments.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what plans she has to amend the regulations on income in respect of the assisted places scheme; [187]

23 Nov 1995 : Column: 321

(2) what plans she has to include capital assets and investments in deciding who should qualify for an assisted place; [177]

(3) what plans she has to raise the income ceiling below which parents qualify for an assisted place. [188]

Mrs. Gillan: Eligibility conditions and means-testing arrangements for assisted places are set out in regulations which are revised annually.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the average cost of (a) an assisted place and (b) a place in the state secondary sector. [213]

Mrs. Gillan: The estimated average cost of public funds for an assisted pupil in England in the financial year 1995-96 is about £3,700 for ages 11 to 18. There is no directly comparable figure for the maintained sector. The average standard spending assessment allocation per pupil aged 11 to 16 in England in the financial year 1995-96 is some £2,600; for pupils aged above 16 it is about £3,600. The SSA figures exclude capital and certain other costs which may be subsumed in the assisted pupil figure.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make a statement on the purpose of the assisted places scheme. [191]

Mrs. Gillan: The assisted places scheme gives able children from less well-off families an opportunity of an excellent academic education at one of England's best independent schools which would not otherwise have been available to them. This helps to promote choice and diversity and to raise standards.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many assisted places there are at Eton college. [211]

Mrs. Gillan: None at present.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to extend the assisted places scheme to preparatory schools. [189]

Mrs. Gillan: We will shortly be announcing our detailed plans for expanding the assisted places scheme as a whole.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what academic criteria are applied to decide whether a child already at a private school should have an assisted place; [210]

(2) what measures are in place to ensure that the advice of a private school at which an assisted places scheme applicant is already a pupil on that child's academic suitability for an award is accurate. [209]

23 Nov 1995 : Column: 322

Mrs. Gillan: The regulations require a school to be satisfied that a pupil selected for an assisted place is likely to benefit from the education provided. Subject to this and other general conditions of eligibility set out in the regulations and to any specific provisions in their participation agreements under the assisted places scheme, it is for each school to select pupils according to its own academic criteria, methods and procedures.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of pupils in private schools are holders of assisted places. [176]

Mrs. Gillan: Assisted place holders form just over 5 per cent. of pupils in all independent schools.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many private schools receive money from the APS. [212]

Mrs. Gillan: The assisted places scheme provides financial help for parents of pupils at participating schools, rather than for the schools themselves. At present 293 independent schools participate in the scheme in England.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent reviews her Department has carried out into the academic standards of schools to which assisted places scheme funds are paid. [190]

Mrs. Gillan: The academic standards of schools participating in the assisted places scheme are regularly monitored through data on the public examination performance and post-school destinations of their pupils, and through inspection by Ofsted.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of overall private school income derives from the APS. [178]

Mrs. Gillan: Information about the overall income of independent schools is not collected centrally.

Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what access her Department has to Inland Revenue records in monitoring the validity of claims for assisted places. [186]

Mrs. Gillan: In order to be eligible for assistance under the scheme, parents are required to submit corroborative documentary evidence of their income to participating schools which carry out income assessments on behalf of the Department. Such evidence may include P60s and Inland Revenue tax assessments on schedule A, schedule D or schedule E. The Department regularly audits a sample of schools' assessments, including the supporting documentation.

Class Sizes, Dudley

Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what has been the average size of class taught by one teacher in primary schools in Dudley metropolitan borough in each year since 1983; [579]

23 Nov 1995 : Column: 323

(2) what has been the average size of class taught by one teacher in secondary schools in Dudley metropolitan borough in each year since 1983. [577]

Mr. Robin Squire: Information on average class sizes of single teacher classes in Dudley local education authority is shown in the table:

Average class sizes of single teacher classes in maintained schools in Dudley local education authority area Position in January each year

Year	Primary	Secondary
1983	25.1	20.4
1984	24.8	20.1
1985	24.8	20.0
1986	25.4	19.9
1987	25.6	19.4
1988	25.6	19.1
1989	25.9	19.5
1990	25.9	19.4
1991	26.4	20.2
1992	25.7	21.5
1993	26.2	22.1
1994	27.0	22.7
1995(24)	27.3	22.9

(24) Provisional data.

---