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Secondary School Governors

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when she last met governors of state secondary schools in the Greater London area. [29720]

Mr., Robin Squire: My right hon. Friend and other Ministers frequently meet governors of secondary schools, including Greater London schools, in a variety of contexts.

School Spending, Wandsworth

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the spending, per chi.d in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools, in the London borough of Wandsworth in 1995. [29723]

Mr. Robin Squire: Expenditure per pupil in Wandsworth in local education authority maintained (a) pre-primary/primary and (b) secondary schools was £2,268 and £3,053 respectively in 1994-95, the latest year for which figures are available.

Ethnic Minority Pupils

Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the review of recent research on achievement by ethnic minority pupils commissioned by the Office for Standards in Education will be published. [29754]

Mr. Robin Squire: This is a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools, who heads the Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.

Students (Study Abroad)

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps she is taking to increase the number of United Kingdom students studying abroad. [29822]

Mr. Forth: Information about the opportunities for studying in Europe have been published in the Department for Education and Employment booklet, "The European Choice", over the last the last three years. The UK is a keen participant in programmes run by the European Commission which promote student mobility. In particular, the Government is a strong supporter of the Socrates-ERASMUS programme which provides UK students with additional support to study for three to 12 months in another country within the European Economic Area.

20 May 1996 : Column: 9

Goods and Services

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much her Department paid to the private sector for goods and services in 1995-96. [29459]

Mr. Robin Squire: The information required could be provided only at disproportionate cost to the Department. The Department does not maintain this information in the form requested.

Modern Apprenticeship Programme

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how she plans to ensure that more young black people participate in the modern apprenticeship programme; [29412]

(2) what percentage of places on the modern apprenticeship programme are currently held by young black people. [29414]

Mr. Paice: Young black people currently account for about 1 per cent. of starts in modern apprenticeships. The results of work to identify good practice in recruitment and selection have been made available and further

20 May 1996 : Column: 10

guidance for employers will be available shortly. The Department is currently exploring with the Commission for Racial Equality and others how best to ensure these new opportunities are drawn to the attention of young black people.

Small Firms

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many firms with fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50, (c) 20 and (d) 10 employees were used by her Department in each of the last five years. [29444]

Mr. Robin Squire: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Warwick and Coventry Universities

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students were at (a) the university of Warwick and (b) Coventry university in each year since 1989, (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage change on the previous year. [29623]

Mr. Forth: The information is given in the following table:

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	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994(7)
University of Warwick:
Numbers	8,262	8,828	9,701	12,471	13,836	15,851
Percentage change	5	7	10	29	11	n/a
Coventry University:
Numbers	8,484	10,158	12,233	12,550	16,086	14,646
Percentage change	3	20	20	3	28	n/a

n/a = not applicable

(7) Due to changes in data collection, 1994 figures are not directly comparable to those in earlier years. Percentage changes between 1993 and 1994 are therefore not calculated.

20 May 1996 : Column: 9

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the undergraduate student to staff ratio in (a) the university of Warwick and (b) Coventry university for each year since 1989. [29624]

Mr. Forth: Information on student-staff ratios for the university of Warwick has been published by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals in its volume "Universities' Management Statistics and Performance Indicators". Similar data for Coventry university have been published by the Polytechnic and College Funding Council in its volume "Student Staff Ratios in Former Polytechnics and Colleges". Copies of these volumes giving data up to 1993-94 are held in the Library.

Mr. Cunnigham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the capital allocation to (a) the university of Warwick and (b) Coventry university in (i) 1994-95 and (ii) 1995-96; and what it will be in 1996-97 and 1997-98 in (1) cash terms, (2) real terms and (3) as a percentage change on the previous year. [29625]

Mr. Forth: The Higher Education Funding Council for England formula capital funds allocations for 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97 are set out in the table, and the 1996-97 figure is given in cash terms, real terms at 1995-96 prices and as a percentage change on the previous year.

20 May 1996 : Column: 10

For 1996-97, the council allocated a single block grant to institutions for recurrent and capital purposes; the figure shown is that element of the grant derived from the council's equipment and estates funding formula.

£000s

	University
	Coventry	Warwick
1994-95 cash	2,246	2,667
1995-96 cash	2,575	2,962
Cash	1,725	2,225
1997-98 real terms	1,678	2,166
Percentage change	-35	-27

Figures for 1997-98 have not yet been decided.

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the level of DFEE funding per undergraduate student at (a) at the university of Warwick and (b) Coventry university in each year since 1990; and what it will be in 1996-97 in (i) cash terms, (ii) real terms and (iii) as a percentage change on the previous year. [29626]

Mr. Forth: The information is not readily available for individual institutions.

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Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funding has been given by her Department to (a) the university of Warwick and (b) Coventry university in each year since 1990 for the construction of new buildings. [29627]

Mr. Forth: Since 1992, the university of Warwick and Coventry university have both received funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England towards the cost of specific capital projects. In both cases only a minority of the project cost has been funded by HEFCE. Details are as follows:

	Projects	Total HEFCE funds approved	Financial year in which awarded
		£
Coventry	Extension and refurbishment of 90-94 Gosford Street	1,750,000	1992-93
Warwick	Library extension	313,000	1995-96

Information for 1991 and earlier years is not readily available.

Performance Bonds

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is her Department's policy on the use of performance bonds; in what circumstances they are used; what was the total sum paid by bond in each of the last five years; and if her Department required bonds from businesses with under (a) 100, (b) 50 and (c) 20 employees. [29418]

Mr. Robin Squire: Advice on the use of performance bonds is set out in the central unit on procurement's guidance note No. 48, "Bonds and Guarantees", copies of which are available in the Library. This guidance makes it clear that bonds are not always necessary and are no substitute for considered judgments about the risks of a particular contract and the capabilities and financial resources of the available contractor. These factors will vary for each contract independent of the size of the contractor.

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