---

Higher Education

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the working groups established by the national committee of inquiry into higher education chaired by Sir Ron Dearing, and the members and chairmen of each group. [38335]

Mr. Forth: The national committee of inquiry into higher education expects to announce details of the working groups and their membership at the end of July. I shall place a copy of that announcement in the Library.

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 722

Teachers

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was (a) the target and (b) the actual intake for teachers in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools, broken down into subjects, in each year from 1990-91, with such figures as are available for 1996-97. [37782]

Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 18 July 1996]: The number of teachers who entered teaching in mainstream nursery, primary and secondary schools in England and Wales for the first time each year from 1990-91 to 1993-94 are given in the table. The Secretary of State does not set targets for entrants into teaching.

New entrants into full-time and part-time teaching in the nursery, primary and secondary sector

	1990-91	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94
Subject (1)
	Maintained nursery and primary sector
Maths	267	303	296	362
English	1,232	1,315	1,501	1,734
Science	1,002	1,008	1,042	1,302
MFL	218	202	235	253
Technical	127	168	227	265
History	558	587	624	771
Geography	418	429	485	542
Art	451	445	555	610
Music	288	329	300	323
RE	277	270	237	328
PE	172	232	253	319
Other	2,141	2,409	2,082	1,768
Not known(21)	1,115	784	847	867
Total	8,266	8,481	8,684	9,444
	Maintained secondary sector
Maths	675	665	832	1,055
English	846	939	1,044	1,138
Science	1,137	1,149	1,311	1,512
MFL	669	742	930	1,071
Technical	755	693	778	1,112
History	332	393	433	536
Geography	264	259	375	416
Art	311	301	349	368
Music	237	249	293	320
RE	209	202	243	275
PE	538	580	624	608
Other	348	309	327	372
Not known(21)	421	329	261	413
Total	6,742	6,810	7,800	9,196

(20) Subject of ITT where known otherwise subject of first degree.

(21) Includes non-graduates.

(22) Figures as at March of each year.

Student Grants

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students, in the academic years (a) 1993-94, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1995-96 under provisions of the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulation 26 (3) (a), (i) had their student grant withdrawn, (ii) had their grant reduced and (iii) had their grant continued at the rate awarded, because they were unable to attend their course due to illness. [38569]

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 723

Mr. Forth: The information required is not collected centrally. The administration of mandatory awards is a matter for local education authorities, who make decisions on individual cases according to the relevant regulations.

Schools Renewal Challenge Fund

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when she expects to take a decision on the submission from Bradford local education authority to the schools renewal challenge fund; and if she will make a statement. [38094]

Mrs. Gillan [holding answer 18 July 1996]: I expect to announce decisions on all the 400 bids which were submitted to the schools renewal challenge fund very soon.

HEALTH

HIV

Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the infectivity of HIV. [37190]

Mr. Horam: Most Government-funded HIV research is commissioned by the Medical Research Council. The Department has not commissioned any recent research into HIV infectivity as the main transmission routes for HIV are well established. HIV is transmitted by unprotected intercourse, through infected blood--which in the United Kingdom is usually a result of injecting drug use--and from an infected mother to her child.

Mental Health

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that effective controls are in place to protect mental health patients from injury or death while undergoing (a) electroconvulsive therapy and (b) powerful drug therapy; and if he will make a statement. [37180]

Mr. Bowis: Guidelines have been issued by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the second report of the special committee on electro-convulsive therapy and in the consensus statement on the use of high dose antipsychotic medication. Copies are available in the Library.

Learning Disabilities

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold) of 2 July, Official Report, column 371, if he will list (a) the names, qualifications and affiliations of the members of the advisory panel for the interim report on residential provision for people with learning disabilities, (b) the criteria used to choose the advisory panel (c) the number of times the advisory panel met; and what assessment he has made of the degree of unanimity in agreeing the report. [37433]

Mr. Bowis: The members of the advisory panel were:

Professor David Felce PhD. Professor of Research in Learning Disabilities, University of Cardiff;
Dr. Margaret Flynn BA Hons. Psychology, PhD, Assistant Director, National Development Team, Prince of Wales Fellow Royal College of General Practitioners;

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 724

Professor Sheila Hollins MB BS FRC Psych, Head of Department of Psychiatry of Disability, St. George's Medical School; Chair of the Learning Disability Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatry;
Professor Martin Knapp BA, MSc, PhD, Professorial Fellow and Director of the Personal Social Services Research Unit, London School of Economics and Political Science; Professor of Health Econometrics and Director of the Centre for Economics of Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry;
Professor Jim Mansell MSc.(Econ) AFBPsP CPsychol, Director of the Tizard Centre, Professor of the Applied Psychology of Learning Disability, University of Kent at Canterbury;
Professor Norma Raynes, BA MSc PhD, Professor of Social Care in the School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield;
Professor David Sines PhD, BSc (Hons), RMN, RNMH, FRCN, Department of Nursing and Health Visiting, University of Ulster; Chair of Learning Disabilities Coalition; and
Dr. Lorna Wing MB BS FRC Psych, Psychiatric Consultant to the National Autistic Society.

Members of the panel were selected on the basis of their academic standing and expertise in learning disability. They were asked to help ensure that the literature review took account of all research studies on the topic published since 1980. The advisory panel was not asked to meet formally, nor was it essential for members to reach unanimity on all aspects of the research findings. The researchers were able to look to the panel for professional and academic input into the wide range of issues covered. This has been an important strength of the research.

Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold) of 2 July, Official Report, column 371, if he will set out the terms of reference for the report on residential provision for people with learning disabilities; and what was the cost of the report. [37428]

Mr. Bowis: The first phase of the evaluation of the costs and outcomes of various types of residential provision for people with learning disabilities was in two parts. First, a review of literature on residential provision for people with learning disabilities. The terms of reference were:

"to assess the state of knowledge about effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different forms of residential accommodation for people with learning disabilities."

Secondly, an analysis of available information on the costs of village communities. The terms of reference were:

"to analyse and compare any information which is readily available on the financial costs of village communities and other forms of residential provision for people with learning disabilities".

Phase one of the evaluation cost £26,471.

Community Health Councils

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy on the relationship between the NHS executive and community health councils; and if he will make a statement. [37843]

Mr. Malone: The position is set out in guidance issued by the Department last year as EL(95)142, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

19 Jul 1996 : Column: 725

---