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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Teachers' Superannuation Scheme
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what safeguards will exist to ensure that a successful bidder for the administration of the teachers' superannuation scheme does not use the names of contributors for direct marketing purposes. [15071]
Mr. Robin Squire: The statement of service requirements which will form part of any contract that we decide to let for the administration of the teachers' superannuation scheme contains the following condition: that the contractor must not use, or allow anyone else to use, any of the information to which he has access through the contract for the purpose of selling other services or products such as personal financial planning, or for any purpose other than administering the TSS.
Skills Centres
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which of the sites formerly used as skills centres have so far been sold by the Skills Training Agency; and how much has been received in total for the sites sold. [15082]
Mr. Robin Squire
[holding answer 13 February 1996]: The Skills Training Agency was established as a self-contained agency of the former Department of Employment in 1985. It was transferred into the private sector in 1990. In May 1990 the Government completed the sale of 36 skills centre businesses with associated freehold property interests. Professional advisers were appointed to assist the Department with the disposal of the residual property interests.
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 364
Since May 1990, 15 of the residual sites have been either sold or surrendered to landlords. These were in:
The total amount received for sales and leases is £14,731,372.
Mrs. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the bodies from which she has received representations in respect of the reduction in the budget of the access to work scheme.[15333]
Mr. Paice:
A number of letters have been received about the access to work budget. Additional funds have been allocated to this year's budget and planned provision for 1996-97 has been maintained at £12.9 million.
Mr. Kilfoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the total amount under section 210 grant for travellers and displaced persons in each year since 1990-91, (a) allocated and (b) paid out to local education authorities under the Education Reform Act 1988. [16462]
Mr. Robin Squire:
Total amounts of grant allocated and spent in each of the years in question are as follows:
Where an outright sale could not be affected, despite prolonged marketing, properties were offered for subletting. Five properties are currently sublet, wholly or in part.
Leicester, Chesterfield, East Lancs, Chelmsford, Leeds, Wakefield, Edinburgh, Southampton, Slough, Reading, Twickenham, Portsmouth, St. Helens, Cardiff, Deptford.
| Year | Supply estimate £ | Amount spent £ |
|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 6,068,000 | 5,387,405 |
| 1991-92 | 7,199,000 | 6,542,623 |
| 1992-93 | 7,419,000 | 7,530,497 |
| 1993-94 | 7,644,000 | 7,584,642 |
| 1994-95 | 7,867,000 | 7,802,941 |
| 1995-96 | 7,197,000 | (6)-- |
(6) Not yet available.
The figures are for England only. Any underspending in particular years is due to local education authorities failing to take up their available grant allocations in full.
Mr. Kilfoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the projected total amount payable to local education authorities in 1996-97 as section 210 grant for travellers and displaced persons, under the Education Reform Act 1988; and what percentage this represents of the grant paid in (a) 1990-91 and (b) 1995-96. [16463]
Mr. Squire:
The projected total amount of grant payable under this programme to local authorities in 1996-97 is £6,762,000, subject to parliamentary approval of the estimates. This represents a 25 per cent. increase on the grant paid in 1990-91 and 94 per cent. of the total grant allocated in 1995-96.
Mr. Kilfoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to supplement the section 210 grant under the Education
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Reform Act 1988 for travellers and displaced persons; and what changes in weighting of the selection 210 grant for travellers and displaced persons have been affected since 1990-91. [16461]
Mr. Squire:
The financial support provided under this programme, over and above basic educational funding, is pitched at a level which the Government regard as realistic and appropriate. Grant recipients are free to provide supplementary funding of their own, if they deem this a particular local priority. The grant rate in England was set at 75 per cent. in 1990-91. It was reduced to 65 per cent. from 1 April 1995, bringing it more into line with other specific grant programmes.
Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to allow private companies to bid for FEFC funding. [16406]
Mr. Paice:
The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 already allows private companies to obtain funding from the Further Education Funding Council, provided that they are sponsored by an institution within the further education sector. The Government plan to legislate to remove the sponsorship requirements.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what assessment she has made of the full cost of bringing all schools in Staffordshire up to acceptable standards of repair and maintenance; [16298]
(3) which bodies currently have responsibility for ensuring that school buildings and equipment in Staffordshire are kept and maintained in a proper state of repair; [16278]
(4) what information she has collated in respect of each school in Staffordshire as to the outstanding repairs to buildings and equipment necessary to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. [16280]
Mrs. Gillan:
Local authorities and school governors are responsible for the upkeep of their schools.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list all deregulation measures relating to schools in Staffordshire; and if she will make a statement on their impact. [16297]
Mr. Forth:
The Department is currently taking the following deregulatory measures, which relate to all maintained schools:
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In addition, the Department is working to relieve the administrative burdens on schools caused by the volume and frequency of communications from central Government and their agencies.
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list by region (a) the number of people taking part in the (i) jobplan, (ii) restart and (iii) workwise schemes, (b) the budgets for (i) to (iii), (c) the number and percentage of people who found jobs immediately on completion of (i) to (iii), (d) the number and percentage of people who become unemployed and in receipt of benefit after taking part in (i) to (iii) and (e) the number and percentage of people who become unemployed and are unable to claim benefit after taking part in (i) to (iii) for the last year for which figures are available. [16713]
Mr. Forth:
Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 26 February 1996:
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1. Expenditure includes VAT, fees, fares, marketing and publicity, leader training.
2. Total positive outcomes are starts into--
(i) Jobcentre jobs, non-jobcentre jobs and self-employment
(ii) ES TEC/LEC programmes: jobclub, community action, JIG, JRW, worktrials, JSS, career development loan, PDF
(iii) Further eduction, Prince's Trust, voluntary work or where activity is being undertaken.
3. Outcomes are gained within 13 weeks of the end of the course.
4. Outcomes into jobs were not routinely collected as a separate figure in 1994-95.
1. Expenditure includes VAT, fees, fares, marketing and publicity, leader training.
2. Total positive outcomes are starts into--
(i) Jobcentre jobs, non-jobcentre jobs and self-employment
(ii) ES TEC/LEC programmes: jobclub, community action, JIG, JRW, worktrials, JSS, career development loan, PDF
(iii) Further education, Prince's Trust, voluntary work or where activity is being undertaken.
3. Outcomes are gained within 13 weeks of the end of the course.
4. Outcomes into jobs were not routinely collected as a separate figure in 1994-95.
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 368
(2) what assessment has been made, and by whom, of the current state and condition of existing schools and equipment in Staffordshire; [16279]
The deregulation order will help speed up the process by which schools may alter the length of their school day. The proposed new school premises regulations will abolish statutory minimum area standards for teaching space and playgrounds giving local authorities and school governors greater flexibility in building management.
the Education (Length of School Day) Deregulation Order 1996, now before Parliament; and
the proposed new school premises regulations.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about Jobplan, Restart and Workwise schemes.
These programmes aim to help people who have been unemployed for some time to compete successfully for jobs and opportunities. About 80% of people who become unemployed leave the unemployment register within a year. Those who remain can lose confidence and believe there are few options open to them. These programmes provide a stepping stone towards employment for people at greatest disadvantage in the labour market. It is important that after a long period of unemployment people take time to have a fresh look at their situation and assess their strengths and skills. After 12 months of unemployment people are asked to attend Jobplan, or Workwise if they are aged 18 to 24, unless they take up a place on another Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) programme. Workwise is a new programme which was piloted in 1994/95 and introduced nationally in April 1995/96. The course lasts for four weeks and helps young people to relaunch and refocus their job search.
Restart Courses are for people who have been unemployed for two years or more. Many of the clients who attend will face very severe difficulties in finding work and so there is a strong emphasis on looking at employers' needs and how clients can 'sell' their strengths and abilities. As a result, clients are then better able to apply for job vacancies, or to select another suitable option which will help them progress towards getting back into work.
The number of people who started on Jobplan and Restart Courses during 1994/95 and the expenditure on these programmes, by region, is shown in the tables attached. Information on Workwise is currently being collected but as yet a full year's figures are not available.
Separate details of the numbers going into work were not routinely collected until 1995/96. However, I have instead supplied information on all positive outcomes achieved by Jobplan and Restart Courses during 1994/95. This includes entry into DfEE programmes such as Jobclub and Training for Work as well as job outcomes. Positive outcomes are counted within 13 weeks of participants completing the programme.
Clients remain on the unemployment register and in receipt of benefit during the time they spend on these programmes. Therefore there is no break in their claim as a result of attending and those who do not take up a job or leave the register for another option continue to be unemployed.
I hope this is helpful.
Expenditure £ Starters Positive outcomes
Northern 1,610,970 15,821 3,414 (23 per cent.)
Y&H 2,230,355 21,442 5,774 (29 per cent.)
EM&E 2,445,836 21,845 3,036 (15 per cent.)
London and South East 10,164,408 79,919 21,605 (29 per cent.)
South West 2,194,802 18,864 4,108 (24 per cent.)
Wales 1,273,122 11,375 2,635 (25 per cent.)
West Midlands 2,456,016 22,820 6,765 (33 per cent.)
North West 3,450,905 31,590 6,083 (21 per cent.)
Scotland 2,563,496 24,712 6,943 (31 per cent.)
Total 28,389,91 248,388 60,363 (26 per cent.)
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