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"Jobsearch"

Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many jobcentres and job clubs currently subscribe to "Jobsearch"; [38916]

Mr. Forth: Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 193

Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. David Hanson, dated 23 July 1996:


Access to Work Scheme

Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will monitor the impact of the introduction of employer contributions under the access to work scheme; and when she plans to make a statement on the impact. [37638]

Mr. Forth: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. Alfred Morris, dated 23 July 1996:


School Buildings

Ms Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if she will make a statement on the work commissioned by the Funding Agency for Schools from the firm of surveyors, Hunters; [38275]

Mrs. Gillan: This is a matter for the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member with this information.

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Schools (Parental Choice)

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many parents secured the primary or secondary school of their first choice for their child in the most recent year for which figures are available (a) in total and (b) for each local education authority. [38583]

Mr. Robin Squire: This information is not collected centrally. However, the most recent evidence--from surveys commissioned by the Association of Metropolitan Authorities in 1992 and The Times in 1993--suggested that some 90 per cent. of parents gained a place at their first choice school.

Licences

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the licences issued by her Department; for what purpose they are issued; and what are the administrative costs for each. [38685]

Mr. Robin Squire: The Department issues copyright licences under delegated authority from Her Majesty's Stationery Office. No separate record is kept of cost, but it is negligible and substantially less than the cost of one administrative level staff unit.

Teachers (North Yorkshire)

Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the full-time equivalent number of teachers employed in North Yorkshire (a) infant and primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 1974. [38929]

Mr. Robin Squire: The available information is shown in the following table:

Full-time equivalent of qualified teachers in maintained primary and secondary schools in North Yorkshire Local Education Authority area: 1975-1995
Position in January each year

PrimarySecondary
19752,6612,805
19762,7182,945
19772,7443,059
19782,7273,126
19792,6983,160
19802,6483,219
19812,5293,197
19822,4023,178
19832,3043,205
19842,2823,197
19852,2713,073
19862,2743,017
19872,3222,938
19882,3562,852
19892,4112,814
19902,4502,795
19912,4352,800
19922,4702,805
19932,5002,851
19942,5032,758
19952,6002,822


23 Jul 1996 : Column: 195

School Security

Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures she is co-ordinating to improve the security of schools in England and Wales. [38951]

Mr. Robin Squire: The Government have accepted in full the recommendations of the working group on school security, including for the provision of substantial additional funding earmarked specifically for school security. We have already strengthened police powers regarding the carrying of knives and other weapons on school premises. The security of schools in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

National Vocational Qualifications

Mr. Bryan Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total public expenditure for the training of outside consultants in the structure and language of national vocational qualifications prior to the publication of the Beaumont report; and what expenditure is planned in this regard for (a) 1996-97 and (b) 1997-98. [39038]

Mr. Paice: The Department did not provide any training at public expense specifically on structure and language of NVQs prior to the Beaumont report. Following the receipt of that report and as stated in the Government's action plan a programme of professional development for people involved in the development of occupational standards and NVQs is planned for 1996-97, and will continue to be available until the end of the "review of all" in April 1998. A total training budget of approximately £60,000 is proposed for 1996-97. No specific amount has been set aside for consultants as opposed to others provided by industry bodies.

We expect to spend a similar amount in 1997-98.

Mr. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the level of current expenditure on (a) additional national vocational qualifications and (b) the revision of existing national vocational qualifications; and what expenditure is planned for 1997-98. [39037]

Mr. Paice: The current planned level of expenditure through the standards programme for work on additional standards and national vocational qualifications is £2.2 million for 1996-97.

The current planned level of expenditure through the standards programme for work on revision and updating of standards and national vocational qualifications is £4.8 million for 1996-97.

Decisions on expenditure on these items for 1997-98 have not yet been taken.

Mr. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total public expenditure on the development of standards for national vocational qualifications since the inception of the

23 Jul 1996 : Column: 196

standards programme; and now much of this expenditure has been on outside consultants. [39039]

Mr. Paice: Total expenditure since the inception of the standards programme for national vocational qualifications in 1988 has been £83 million. It is not possible to say how much of this has involved consultants.

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which courses are now no longer approved for output funding by her Department as a result of their removal from the NVQ national database; and for each course, what was the number of students taking the course in the last three years. [38257]

Mr. Paice [holding answer 22 July 1996]: Three hundred and fifty-five vocational qualifications were removed from approval and closed to new entrants to training programmes between May 1993 and May 1996. Of these, 81 are no longer eligible for output payments to TECs; they are listed. Student numbers taking each qualification are not available as trainee data are collected on an aggregated basis by level of qualification for all approved types. Data are not collected by reference to individual qualification titles.


23 Jul 1996 : Column: 197

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