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Schools Access Initiative
Sir Alan Haselhurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make a statement on the schools access initiative. [21971]
Mr. Forth: Local education authorities are today being notified of supplementary credit approvals totalling £7.8 million in 1996-97 to enable them to improve access to mainstream schools for pupils with disabilities, and are being notified that capital grant of £974,000--grant to voluntary aided schools is paid at the rate of 85 per cent. of eligible expenditure--will support work in 1996-97 at voluntary aided schools. Together with partnership funding in many cases, the total value of the projects concerned is £10.6 million.
I am delighted that this will enable many more schools to admit pupils with disabilities. It will improve facilities in over 700 mainstream schools, not only for pupils with physical disabilities, but for those with, for example, visual or hearing impairments. The result will be greater access to the curriculum and to the social life of school for these pupils.
LEAs and schools are planning a wide variety of projects. Just a few examples of the many worthwhile and imaginative improvements which will be made are:
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private contributions, business sponsorship, voluntary aided school governors' contributions and schools' own resources. It is a marvellous achievement.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will take steps to ensure that no disabled persons in Wales are denied benefit from the access to work scheme because of cash limits on the available budget; and if she will make a statement. [20787]
Mr. Paice:
While additional funds have been allocated to the 1995-96 budget, it has been necessary to focus support mainly on people with disabilities who have been unemployed for at least four weeks and those to whom the Employment Service has existing commitments. The Government believe that this is the most equitable way of allocating the limited resources available across Great Britain.
Mr. Heppell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many blind and vision-impaired people in the United Kingdom are currently receiving assistance from the access to work scheme; [21371]
Mr. Forth:
Responsibility for the subject of the questions 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. John Heppell, dated 19 March 1996:
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Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list those areas of executive action where she has discretion to act in respect of an individual without giving reasons for her decision. [20543]
Mr. Robin Squire:
Comprehensive records are not kept in the form requested but reasons will normally be given to the individual affected either at the time the decision is communicated or, on request, afterwards.
Mr. Blunkett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to review the powers and responsibilities of local education authorities in respect of the provision of special educational needs and education psychology services and specialist advice and support to schools; and if she will make a statement. [21082]
Mrs. Gillan:
The powers and responsibilities of local education authorities in this regard are contained in the Education Act 1993 and associated legislation, including the code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs. The code came into force in September 1994, and the Department is currently monitoring its implementation by schools and LEAs, together with implementation of other aspects of the legislation. I understand that Ofsted intends shortly to publish a report on an interim survey by Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools on the implementation of the code of practice in the period from September 1994 to November 1995.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many types of Government audits Barnsley and Doncaster TEC has undergone. [20989]
Mr. Paice:
Three types of audits have been undertaken by the Department at the Barnsley and Doncaster training and enterprise council. These are in the areas of TEC quality assurance: supplier management, health and safety and financial appraisal and monitoring.
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Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will review funding to ensure provision for autistic children; and if she will make a statement. [20877]
Mrs. Gillan:
The assessment of autistic children and the identification of a suitable school for them is the responsibility of the local education authority in whose area they live. It is for LEAs to decide how best to use their financial resources in order to carry out statutory duties such as these in the light of local needs and priorities.
The Department is, however, funding a series of joint seminars, to be organised by the National Autistic Society and the Society of Education Officers, which will draw attention to the implications of autism for LEAs.
Mr. David Nicholson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations she has had, and what studies she has commissioned, since 1 January 1994, with the purpose of changing the balance of financial support between primary and secondary or middle schools. [21139]
Mr. Robin Squire:
My right hon. Friend has received a few representations on this issue but has commissioned no studies. The distribution of funds between primary and secondary schools is determined by the decisions of each local education authority.
Mr. Wilson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make it her policy that abolition of the transfer system on out-of-contract football players should also apply to non-EU players wishing to transfer from employment in the United Kingdom to other EU countries. [21169]
Mr. Sproat:
I have been asked to reply.
No. This is a matter for the football authorities which are independent of Government.
Mr. Callaghan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils (a) nationally and (b) in the Greater Manchester area received support under the assisted places scheme in each of the past four years. [21522]
Mrs. Gillan:
The information requested is given in the following table:
providing ramps, lifts, handrails and walkways to improve access to buildings;
To maximise the benefits of the schools access initiative, LEAs and schools have secured partnership funding totalling some £1.8 million. This has come from
adapting accommodation for particular curriculum areas or relocating this accommodation to make it accessible;
purchasing specialist equipment such as teaching aids for the visually handicapped--for example, Braille microcomputers-- or portable transmitter/receiver systems for profoundly deaf pupils.
(2) how many people in (a) Nottingham and (b) the east midlands are currently receiving assistance from the access to work scheme; and of these how many are blind or visually impaired people. [21370]
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your questions about the number of visually impaired people currently receiving help through the Access to Work programme; the number of people currently being helped in Nottingham, and in the East Midlands; and the number of these who are visually impaired.
We do not keep detailed records centrally about the characteristics of people currently being helped. However, during 1994-95 we helped 10,394 people nationally and we estimate that around 2,200 of these were visually impaired. Similar figures for 1995/96 will be available after the end of the year.
In the East Midlands Region since Access to Work began, we have helped 1,480 people of whom 347 were visually impaired. The Nottingham Placing Assessment and Counselling Team helped 275 people, of whom 61 are visually impaired. These figures are included in the East Midlands Region total.
I hope this is helpful.
Council
| Academic year | England | Greater Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 28,674 | 2,813 |
| 1993-94 | 29,291 | 2,800 |
| 1994-95 | 29,747 | 2,794 |
| 1995-96(8) | 30,200 | 2,800 |
(8) Estimated.
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Numeracy and Literacy Centres
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which local education authorities have been awarded grant for education support and training grants for the establishment of the 10 numeracy and 10 literacy centres announced in January 1996. [21556]
Mr. Robin Squire: No decisions have yet been made about which local education authorities will be selected to run the literacy and numeracy centres. I hope to make an announcement about the successful local education authorities shortly.
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