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Aided Places (Music and Ballet)
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library a list of the schools at which additional aided places will be offered under the music and ballet schemes. [23282]
Mrs. Gillan: My right hon. Friend announced on 29 February her intention to allocate some 100 additional aided places under the music and ballet schools scheme from September 1996, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary regulations. I am placing a list in the Library.
Higher Education Institutions
Mr. Coe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to allow greater flexibility to higher education institutions in the application of the proceeds of sale of Exchequer-funded assets; and if she will make a statement. [23283]
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Mr. Forth: For many years, universities and colleges of higher education have enjoyed freedom, within specified limits agreed by the Secretary of State, to retain the proceeds of sale of Exchequer-funded land or buildings, without reference to the annual appropriation procedures. The purpose of these arrangements is to help institutions to make the most economic and efficient use of their land and buildings, with the objective of rationalising and disposing of those assets which institutions consider in the light of their strategic plans no longer to be needed.
Following consultations with the Higher Education Funding Council for England, my right hon. Friend is satisfied that these arrangements have enabled higher education institutions in England to make effective use of their estates and that it would be appropriate to consolidate and extend them.
Accordingly, the conditions attached to the disposal of Exchequer-funded land and buildings have been incorporated in a revised control framework designed to allow institutions greater flexibility to manage their own estate without the need for detailed vetting of every individual project. These conditions are among those set out in a revised financial memorandum between the Department and the HEFCE. Higher education institutions will be informed of the new arrangements in a model financial memorandum between the HEFCE and individual institutions.
The Government are still considering the relationship between the private finance initiative and controls on the disposal of Exchequer-funded assets. The new provisions for reinvesting the proceeds of sale of such assets do not take into account the full range of circumstances in which institutions might wish to procure assets or capital-related services under innovative PFI schemes. In consequence, there will be a need for special flexibilities to operate in some PFI cases. The Government will consider sympathetically requests for exceptions to the disposal provisions, on a case-by-case basis, in order to ensure that there are no financial disincentives to institutions seeking value for money through PFI schemes.
Copies of the Department's financial memorandum with the HEFCE and the model financial memorandum between the HEFCE and institutions will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Nigel Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment is she will make a statement on the operation of access to work in 1996-97. [23284]
Mrs. Gillian Shephard:
The Government are committed to helping people with disabilities to secure jobs and satisfying careers at work. Our Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will significantly improve opportunities for disabled people. The access to work programme also has a part to play, and the Government recognise the high regard which disabled people and employers have for the programme.
Access to work is not a demand-led programme. Although I increased the 1995 budget substantially during the year, from £13.4 million to £19 million, I had to announce on 14 December restrictions on eligibility conditions for the remainder of 1995-96 in order to
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prevent a major cost overrun. I also announced that, before I reached decisions on 1996-97, my Department would hold discussions with the disability and employer organisations principally concerned and I would take into account research and other data on the first year of operation of the programme.
In light of those considerations, I have decided for 1996-97 that, in addition to continuing to provide help to those who are unemployed, eligibility should be reinstated for employees and the self employed. This restores the eligibility criteria which applied before the December announcement.
As now, the Employment Service will continue to identify approved costs for the purposes of ATW with reference to the value of any wider benefit which accrues to the organisation. ATW will continue to meet 100 per cent. of the approved costs for unemployed disabled people. The ES will also pay 100 per cent. of approved costs for travel to work and for communicator support at interviews for all groups.
For disabled people in employment, ATW will meet up to 80 per cent. of approved costs above a cost threshold of £300 per year. With a view to the needs of the most severely disabled, ATW will however, provide 100 per cent. of all such costs in excess of £10,000 over three years. The Government recognise that particular factors may apply in the case of the self-employed and we shall consider this issue further.
Multi-year commitments to individuals will be made for a maximum of three years. The ES will accordingly review cases where commitments have been made for longer periods.
The new arrangements will apply from 1 April for the unemployed, as will travel to work and communication support at interviews for all groups. Other support for employed people will take effect from 1 June, so that the necessary new administrative arrangements on cost sharing can be implemented effectively by the ES, along with support for the self employed.
The ATW budget is cash limited and expenditure will be monitored closely. Should further prioritisation of ATW support prove necessary at any point, the Government will continue to give top priority to the unemployed, followed by those in work who suffer the onset of a disability or major worsening of a disability, and then those whose job circumstances change and those who seek to move to a new employer.
The ES will continue to discuss detailed implementation of the arrangements with the organisations principally concerned. On this basis, I am pleased to announce that I am increasing planned provision for ATW in 1996-97 from £12.9 million to £19 million. I shall be considering provision for ATW in future years in the course of the 1996 public expenditure round.
This significant increase in the budget for the programme will, I believe, be welcomed. In particular, I am pleased to be able to restore eligibility to the employed and the self-employed, as this will help them retain jobs and to progress at work. I believe that these new arrangements strike the appropriate balance in
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helping to meet the needs of people with disabilities, particularly those who need the most expensive types of help, while putting the available resources to best use.
Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which former public sector research establishments in his Department have been privatised since 1979; and which public sector research establishments in his Department are currently undergoing reviews with a view to placing them in the private sector. [21942]
Mr. Howard:
No research establishments in the Home Office have been privatised since 1979.
The police and scientific development branch of the Home Office is currently being reviewed as part of the programme of reviews of public sector establishments announced by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 26 January.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gun clubs there are in each county in England and in each local authority area in Scotland and Wales; and how many members each of them has. [22459]
Mr. Maclean:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 21 March, Official Report, column 295. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is responsible for gun clubs in Scotland. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 1 March, Official Report, column 168.
Mr. David Shaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22502]
Mr. Howard:
There have been no payments in respect of alleged equal opportunities breaches not proceeding to tribunals or courts. Information on alleged equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals is given in the table and relates to Home Office agencies. There were no awards; all the cases were settled.
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| Calendar years | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
| Total amount | £31,000 | £33,500 | -- |
| Number of staff | 3 | 9 | -- |
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