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Higher Education
Mr. Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the amount of funding per student attending institutes of higher education in Yorkshire and Humberside; and what was the amount in each year since 1979. [23833]
Mr. Forth: The information is not readily available centrally--but could be requested from the relevant institutions.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what assessment she has made of the impact on institutes of higher education in Yorkshire and Humberside of the reduction in the formula capital grant; [23835]
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- (2) what assessment she has made of the impact on the work of institutes of higher education in Yorkshire and Humberside with industry and commerce of the implementation of the recent budget cut. [24074]
(3) what proposals she has to provide interim funding to higher education to cover shortfalls in funding in the current year; [23837]
(4) what assessment she has made of the economic impact to the recent reductions in budgets for institutes of higher education; [23836]
(5) what assessment she has made of the impact on the economy in Yorkshire and Humberside of the reductions in budgets to higher education institutes in Yorkshire and Humberside. [23834]
Mr. Forth: The November 1995 budget settlement confirmed the 1994 plans for higher education recurrent expenditure. Planned capital expenditure was reduced in line with capital provision in most other public expenditure programmes, reflecting the policy that capital should, wherever possible, be financed through private finance schemes.
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if changes to the current system of discretionary student grants are included in the review of higher education funding. [23770]
Mr. Forth: My right hon. Friends have yet to finalise, in the light of comments received during consultations, the terms of reference for the national committee of inquiry into higher education, but those terms will cover student support and are likely to be wide ranging. It will be for the committee itself to decide on which specific issues to focus.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations she has received concerning the recent reductions in funding of higher education; and how many of these were from the Yorkshire and Humberside areas. [23814]
Mr. Forth: Education and Employment Ministers have received approaching 300 representations from higher education bodies and other interested parties concerning the recent reductions in funding of higher education. Around 4 per cent. were from the Yorkshire and Humberside areas.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the proportion of 18-year-olds currently entering higher education in the Yorkshire and Humberside area; and what was the proportion in each year since 1986. [23832]
Mr. Forth: We are unable to calculate the age participation index--API--for higher education on a regional basis as the data are not readily available. Comparable Great Britain figures are shown in the following table for the years concerned.
| Academic year | API (percentage) |
|---|---|
| 1986-87 | 14.08 |
| 1987-88 | 14.50 |
| 1988-89 | 15.10 |
| 1989-90 | 17.10 |
| 1990-91 | 19.30 |
| 1991-92 | 23.30 |
| 1992-93 | 27.50 |
| 1993-94 | 29.70 |
| 1994-95 | 31.00 |
| 1995-96 | 30-32.00 |
Figures show the number of young (aged under 21 years) home domiciled initial entrants to higher education in Great Britain expressed as a percentage of the averaged 18 to 19-year-old population. Initial entrants are those entering a full-time course of higher education for the first time.
We do not yet have comprehensive figures on the number of full-time undergraduate students in Great Britain in the current academic year. Our best estimate is within a range based on the November 1995 Budget projection which took account of latest data available from the universities and colleges admissions services and from local education authorities.
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Expenditure
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list, for the most recent years for which information is available, and for each local education authority, the expenditure per pupil, full-time equivalent, in education on (a) the total education budget, (b) the general schools budget, (c) the potential school budget, (d) the aggregate schools budget, (e) the part of the budget allocated through age-weighted pupil units and (f), (b), (c), (d) and (e) each as a percentage of (a). [24141]
Mr. Robin Squire: I will write to the hon. Member with the available information when this has been collated.
EDS Computer System
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the terms of contract the Student Loans Company has with the EDS software computer system; and if she will make a statement. [24357]
Mr. Forth: The Student Loans Company's facilities management contract with EDS ended on 15 May 1995. Services are now provided by SHL Systemhouse Europe.
Dance Training
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures she is taking to increase opportunities for young people to have access to vocational training in dance. [23460]
Mr. Paice: Oversight for the co-ordination of training in the performing arts and entertainment industry, including dance, is the responsibility of the Arts and Entertainment Training Council, the recognised industry training organisation. The AETC is currently developing standards and national vocational qualifications in all sectors of the industry, including dance. The AETC has developed a modern apprenticeship framework for the industry to widen vocational education and training opportunities for young people.
General national vocational qualifications at foundation, intermediate and advanced levels in the performing arts and entertainment are now available to be piloted at various centres from September 1996.
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Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which of the 1,000 regulations identified for repeal or amendment by the Prime Minister are the responsibility of her Department; of those which (a) have been repealed or amended and (b) are planned to have been repealed or amended by the end of the 1995-96 parliamentary Session; and if she will list those whose repeal has saved business more than £1 million per annum. [23652]
Mr. Robin Squire:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance she has issued concerning the use of paper correction fluid in schools. [24115]
Mr. Paice:
The Department has drawn the attention of all schools to the Health and Safety Commissions's Education Services Advisory Committee's guidance, issued in 1994, entitled "Managing Health and Safety in Schools". ESAC has also produced specific guidance for schools on the safe use of substances hazardous to health. Education employers are required to assess the risks to health, of both employees and pupils, arising from the use of such substances and to have in place appropriate precautions to control those risks. This includes the use of liquid paper correction fluid where it contains substances hazardous to health. Normal use of correction fluid in schools should not, however, give rise to significant risks to health and safety.
The Department has also given advice in circular 4/95--"Drug prevention and schools"--on substances which are open to misuse. These include volatile substances or solvents such as correction fluid. The Department's digest of drug education resources for schools, issued last May, refers to materials which give advice about solvents. Solvents are also specifically mentioned in the references to drug education included in the national curriculum science order at key stages 3 and 4.The School Curriculum Assessment Authority--SCAA--offered guidance on related curricular matters in "Drug Education: Curriculum Guidance for Schools", also issued in May.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what resources her Department has allocated to promoting the European Year of Life Long Learning; and what other measures have been taken by her Department to promote the success of this year. [24180]
Mr. Paice:
The Department has set up a United Kingdom co-ordination unit under the terms of the decision establishing the year. The unit has facilitated bids for European funding and awards have been made to 90
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UK organisations for a variety of projects at national, regional and local level.
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