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Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps he is taking to monitor the take-up of grants under the home energy efficiency scheme, following changes to eligibility criteria on 1 April; and if he will make a statement; [32042]

(2) how many claimants over the age of 60 years registered for a 100 per cent. grant under the home energy efficiency scheme before the change in eligibility criteria on 1 April. [32043]

Mr. Robert B. Jones: We receive regular reports on the operation of this successful scheme, which has helped almost 2 million vulnerable householders to keep their homes warmer with less fuel, from the company which manages it for us.

By 1 April, 372,000 applicants had registered their claims under the special arrangements we set up following the Budget statement. Between 1 April and 31 May, 112,000 grants were paid.

Opencast Coal, Sharlston

Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the report on the public inquiry on the proposals for opencast coal operations in the village of Sharlston. [32261]

Sir Paul Beresford: The report of the inspector who conducted the public inquiry into the proposed opencast coal mining operations at Sharlston, West Yorkshire has been received in the Department. A decision by the Secretary of State on the case will be announced as soon as possible.

Menwith Hill Station

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken to ensure that the stormwater system at Menwith hill station meets environmental protection standards; when the last inspection was carried out, and by whom; if the previous high quantities of oil have been removed from the oil/water separators; what action has been taken to ensure that these levels will not be repeated; what centralised listing of above and underground tank locations, history, and records now exists; and what action has been taken to ensure that the management of underground petroleum oil and lubrication tanks meet necessary standards and requirements. [31951]

Mr. Clappison [holding answer 10 June 1996]: I understand that the stormwater system has been refurbished and that the Environment Agency has consented to the associated discharge. An inspection of the site by the agency earlier this month indicated that the oil interceptors in the system are removing oil from stormwater and that the quantity of oil evident in the separator was not substantial. The station now keeps records of underground tanks, which are regularly maintained and inspected.

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will commission an analysis of the soil, air and water at RAF Menwith Hill. [31955]

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Mr. Clappison [holding answer 10 June 1996]: I have no plans to do so.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Recruitment

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what use her Department and its executive agencies have made of executive search agencies or employment companies in filling vacancies within her Department or executive agencies administered by her Department during the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96; what agencies were employed; what was the cost in each case; how many staff were recruited in each case; and what was the total cost in each financial year of these contracts. [31419]

Mr. Robin Squire: The Department and its executive agencies have used the following executive search agencies or employment companies to fill the following posts:

(i) St. James's Management Recruitment was used to fill the post of head of financial services branch and head of the accountancy profession for the former Department of Education group in 1994-95.


(ii) Price Waterhouse was used to fill the post of permanent secretary to the former Department of Employment group in the same year.


(iii) Korn/Ferry Carre/Orban International is currently being used to fill the post of chief executive of the Employment Service.

Details of the individual contracts concerned are commercially confidential.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much her Department spent in recruiting staff to her Department and its executive agencies during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 financial years; and how many staff were recruited in each of these years. [31404]

Mr. Squire: The Department and its executive agencies spent a total of £119,366 on staff recruitment during 1994-95, and £85, 484 on staff recruitment during 1995-96. In 1994-95, 734 permanent staff, 59 fixed-term appointees and 1,482 casual staff were recruited by the Department and its executive agencies. In 1995-96, 212 permanent staff, 284 fixed-term appointees and 4,227 casual staff were recruited.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in what circumstances her Department or its executive agencies uses an executive search or employment agency to recruit staff in preference to using personnel staff within her own Department or its executive agencies. [31532]

Mr. Squire: The Department uses executive search agencies primarily to fill senior vacancies. Once a decision has been made to fill such a vacancy by open competition, the decision whether to use an executive search agency is taken on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature of the post, the type of person being sought and whether advertisement alone would produce a satisfactory field of candidates. For members of the senior civil service, the Department follows advice in "Guidance

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on Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment to Senior Posts", a procedural guide to Departments produced by the civil service commissioners.

Apart from occasional use of employment agencies to provide agency staff, other recruitment is handled by internal personnel staff and line managers involving the civil service recruitment and assessment services where appropriate.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1), pursuant to her answer of 25 March, Official Report, column 433, how much her Department estimated it would have cost to provide the information requested; [31464]

(2), pursuant to her answer of 26 March, Official Report, column 484, how much her Department estimated it would have cost to provide the information requested. [31462]

Mr. Robin Squire: More than £450, which is the current threshold above which answers are deemed to incur disproportionate cost.

School Meals

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many local education authorities have awarded their school meals contracts to Rentokil. [32074]

Mrs. Gillan: The Department does not collect this information centrally.

Student Loans Company

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make it her policy that answers to parliamentary questions that are referred to the chief executive of the Student Loans Company to answer are published in the Official Report; and if she will make a statement. [31492]

Mr. Forth: Arrangements for publishing chief executive letters responding to parliamentary questions in the Official Report apply only to the next steps agencies and Defence agencies. The Student Loans Company is a non-departmental public body--NDPB. There is no approval by the House authorities for broadening the scope of the Official Report to include letters from chief executives of NDPBs. Copies of replies from NDPB chief executives are, however, placed in the House of Commons Library.

Grant-maintained Schools

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools voted to become grant maintained during each financial year since 1993-94; and, in each case, what proportion of parental ballots ended in a yes vote. [31844]

Mrs. Gillan: The information requested is given in the table:

	1993-94		1994-95		1995-96
	Number of ballots	Number (proportion) of yes votes	Number of ballots	Number (proportion) of yes votes	Number of ballots	Number (proportion) of yes votes
Primary	274	201 (73 per cent.)	94	55 (59 per cent.)	61	37 (61 per cent.)
Secondary	171	107 (63 per cent.)	43	13 (30 per cent.)	31	13 (42 per cent.)

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11 Jun 1996 : Column: 117

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools voted to become grant maintained during the academic years 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1995-96, and in each case, what proportion of parental ballots ended in a "yes" vote. [31843]

Mrs. Gillan: The information requested is given in the tables:

	1992-93
	Number of ballots	Number (proportion) of yes votes
Primary	310	252 (81 per cent.)
Secondary	392	291 (74 per cent.)

	1993-94
	Number of ballots	Number (proportion) of yes votes
Primary	165	105 (64 per cent.)
Secondary	104	52 (50 per cent.)

	1994-95
	Number of ballots	Number (proportion) of yes votes
Primary	59	37 (63 per cent.)
Secondary	26	13 (50 per cent.)

	1995-96
	Number of ballots	Number (proportion) of yes votes
Primary	56	34 (61 per cent.)
Secondary	35	13 (37 per cent.)

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