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Higher Education Funding (London)
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was (a) the recurrent and formula capital grant for each higher education
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institution in London for 1995-96 and 1996-97, (b) the percentage variation in the level of grants between these years and (c) the total figures for institutions in Greater London. [19658]
Mr. Forth: This information was published on 29 February and communicated to institutions by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in its circular 4/96, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Jobcentres (Lancashire)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many complaints were received about the services provided by jobcentres in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale for the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; [19628]
- (2) what assessments she has made of the performance of jobcentres in (a) Burnley, (b) Pendle and (c) Rossendale measured against charter standards in the last 12 months. [19660]
Mr. Forth: Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 11 March 1996:
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Performance against standards is regularly reviewed by ES managers and improvements are continually sought where possible.
I hope this is helpful.
The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me to reply to your two recent written questions. The first concerned the number of complaints received about the services offered by Jobcentres in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale areas. The second question asked what assessment had been made of the performance of these Jobcentres against Charter standards.
As both questions relate to information obtained through monitoring performance against the Jobseeker's Charter, I am dealing with both questions in this reply.
The Jobseeker's Charter sets out obligations both of the Employment Service (ES) to deliver services, and of its clients. It informs jobseekers about the standards of service they can expect when visiting or calling ES offices, the help we provide, and what we expect from our clients. It is a valuable medium to demonstrate to jobseekers and others that ES is committed to looking at the services we provide, and that we actively seek to improve our standards, where possible. As part of this process, complaints about our services and suggestions for improving them are encouraged and welcomed.
Jobseeker's Charter statistical and monitoring returns are completed on a quarterly basis and, during the 12 months ended December 1995, within the Burnley ES District (which covers the areas of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale), 61 complaints were recorded.
This should be viewed in the context of staff in the district making 120,000 job submissions and conducting over 29,000 advisory interviews during that period. You should also be aware that 45 letters were received, complimenting the ES on the service it provides locally.
As well as recording suggestions and complaints, the ES currently monitors performance against five standards of service set out in its Jobseeker's Charter. These are:
Telephone answering times (within 30 seconds)
Waiting times (Clients to be seen within 10 minutes)
Answering correspondence (replies to written correspondence within 5 working days)
Currency of vacancies (during a sample week)
Speed and accuracy of payments
The performance levels achieved by Jobcentres in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale in the last four quarters is detailed below. Unfortunately, some of these standards are monitored at District, rather than Jobcentre, level , so the performance information contained in the table relates to all nine offices in the Burnley ES District, rather than just those in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.
Quarter ending
Standard March 1995 June 1995 September 1995 December 1995
Telephone answering time 100 96.5 85 92.8
Waiting time 90 99 97.1 99.4
Answering correspondence 100 100 100 100
Currency of vacancies 96 95.9 96 94
Speed and accuracy of payment 96.3 97.4 95.8 100
Age of Transfer, Burnham
Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when she expects to determine the proposals from Buckinghamshire county council for a change in age of transfer in the Burnham area. [19442]
Mr. Robin Squire: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will determine these proposals as quickly as is compatible with a full and careful consideration of all comments made and the educational issues involved.
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Teacher Training Agency
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria have been used by the Teacher Training Agency to appoint the members of the working groups which will develop draft standards for teachers; and if she will list the membership of each group and their professional qualifications. [19441]
Mr. Robin Squire: I will ask the chairman of the Teacher Training Agency, Mr. Geoffrey Parker, to write to the hon. Member as soon as the membership of the groups is finalised.
Student Grants
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students in higher education in Wales have received (a) mandatory and (b) discretionary grants in each of the last five years; what percentage of students this represents in each case; and what is the annual average amount of the grant in each case in each of the last five years. [19921]
Mr. Forth: The information requested for the academic years 1989-90 to 1993-94, the latest year for which data are available, is given in the following table. Since 1990-91, eligible students have also had access to non means-tested student loans. It is not possible to say what percentage of students received awards because some awards are made to students in private institutions for which population data are not available. The number of full-time and sandwich students in the final column is therefore given for illustration only.
| Mandatory | Discretionary | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic year | (1)Awards (000) | (2)Average grant (£) | (1)Awards (000) | (2)Average grant (£) | (1)Awards (000) | Full-time and sandwich HE students (000) |
| 1989-90 | 28.4 | 1,540 | 1.2 | 1,630 | 29.6 | 31.0 |
| 1990-91 | 30.9 | 1,590 | 1.7 | 1,670 | 32.6 | 34.4 |
| 1991-92 | 34.8 | 1,620 | 1.4 | 1,830 | 36.2 | 38.7 |
| 1992-93 | 39.6 | 1,690 | 1.1 | 1,760 | 40.7 | 43.2 |
| 1993-94 | 42.3 | 1,740 | 0.3 | 1,840 | 42.6 | 47.7 |
Notes:
(1)Awards made by local education authorities to students normally domiciled in Wales irrespective of their place of study; includes placement year sandwich students.
(2) Average net maintenance grant paid by LEAs (to the nearest £10); excludes fees and placement year sandwich students
Source:
F503G, FESR, USR and HESA.
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Scientists and Engineers
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many professional scientists and engineers of each category were employed at each grade in the headquarters division of her Department in each year from 1991 to the current year. [19800]
Mr. Robin Squire: There are no practising professional scientists working in the Department for Education and Employment. The number of professional engineers is shown in the table:
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| Number of staff by grade | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Grade 7 engineer | Grade 6 engineer | Senior professional and technology officer |
| 1 January 1991 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 January 1992 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 January 1993 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 January 1994 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 January 1995 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 January 1996 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
There are other professionally qualified engineers and scientists working in mainstream grades, but information on these staff is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Student Loans
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students in higher education in Wales have received loans from the Student Loans Company in each year that it has been granting them; and what has been the percentage of students claiming in each year and the annual average amount of the loan. [19922]
Mr. Forth: The information requested is given in the table. Figures are shown from the academic year 1990-91, when the student loan scheme was introduced, to 1994-95, the latest year for which data are available.
| Loans as a percentage of eligible students | Average loan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic year | Number of loans taken out | (Percentage) | £ |
| 1990-91 | 7,100 | 22 | 384 |
| 1991-92 | 10,900 | 29 | 524 |
| 1992-93 | 15,900 | 36 | 643 |
| 1993-94 | 20,500 | 42 | 721 |
| 1994-95 | 26,500 | 51 | 1,018 |
Sources:
Student Loans Company, Welsh Office, Higher Educational Statistical Agency.
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