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Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make a statement on the impact of (a) her policies and (b) the work of her Department in helping small businesses in the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months; and if she will publish the performance indicators by which her Department monitors the impact and the statistical results of such monitoring. [39142]
Mr. Paice: I will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and place a copy of my reply in the Library.
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 446
Free School Meals, North Yorkshire
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many and what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children in North Yorkshire received free school meals in each year since 1979. [38928]
Mrs. Gillan: The available information is shown in the following table. Comparable information prior to 1989 is not available, but figures from earlier school meals censuses were published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in its "School Meal Statistics" volumes, copies of which are available in the Library.
| Primary | Secondary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils | Percentage(31) | Pupils | Percentage(31) | |
| 1989 | 3,403 | 6 | 1,880 | 4 |
| 1990 | 3,566 | 6 | 1,642 | 4 |
| 1991 | 4,033 | 7 | 1,682 | 4 |
| 1992 | 4,938 | 9 | 1,987 | 5 |
| 1993 | 5,513 | 9 | 2,288 | 5 |
| 1994 | 6,073 | 10 | 2,591 | 6 |
| 1995 | 6,336 | 10 | 2,803 | 6 |
(31) The number of day pupils who took a free meal on the census day expressed as a percentage of the number of day pupils on roll.
Skill Centres (Sales)
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which skill centres formerly belonging to the skills training agency have now been sold; what is the total amount so far received from the sales; and what has been the expenditure since 1993 on the administration of the sales. [39066]
Mr. Paice: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and place a copy of my reply in the Library.
Publicity
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is her Department's budget in 1996-97 for consultants to assist with information, publicity, press and media. [39352]
Mr. Robin Squire: The Department has no budget in 1996-97 for consultants to assist with information, publicity, press and media.
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many staff are assumed in her Department's budget employed (i) full time and (ii) part time, (a) to work on press and media and (b) to provide information and publicity in 1996-97. [39340]
Mr. Squire: The number of departmental staff allocated for this purpose in 1996-97 is as follows:
(a) Press and media
(i) Full-time 21
(ii) Part-time 2
(b) Information and publicity
(i) Full-time 46
(ii) Part-time 6
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 447
Mr. Squire: The Department for Education and Employment was formed in July 1995, following the merger of the Department for Education and the Employment Department. With regard to information and publicity and press and media work, the merged Department was treated for accounting purposes as separate units throughout 1995-96.
The number of staff employed, full time or part time, in the two former departments was as follows:
| Information and publicity | Press and media | |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Education | ||
| 1993-94 | 16 | 11 |
| 1994-95 | 17.5 | 13 |
| 1995-96 | 16 | 13 |
| Employment Department | ||
| 1993-94 | 37 | 12.5 |
| 1994-95 | 35 | 12.5 |
| 1995-96 | 34.5 | 10 |
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the cost budgeted for staff, employed full time or part time, to provide information and publicity in 1996-97. [39441]
Mr. Squire: The cost budgeted by the Department for staff, full time and part time, to provide information and publicity in 1996-97 is £1,341,000.
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the cost of staff employed full time or part time (i) to provide information and publicity and (ii) to work on the press and media in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1993-94. [39435]
Mr. Squire: The Department for Education and Employment was formed in July 1995, following the merger of the Department for Education and the Employment Department. With regard to information and publicity and press and media work, the merged Department was treated for accounting purposes as separate units throughout 1995-96.
| Information and publicity | Press and media | |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Education | ||
| 1993-94 | 400 | 363 |
| 1994-95 | 544 | 439 |
| 1995-96 | 551 | 442 |
| Employment Department | ||
| 1993-94 | 830 | 276 |
| 1994-95 | 891 | 319 |
| 1995-96 | 864 | 267 |
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 448
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the cost, assumed in the budget, of people employed full time or part time to work on the press and the media in 1996-97. [39986]
Mr. Squire: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and place a copy of my reply in the Library.
Secondary Modern Schools
Mr. Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to reintroduce secondary modern schools in areas currently served by comprehensive schools. [37728]
Back-to-Work Schemes
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many people participated in work trials during 1995-96; and how many of these subsequently (a) obtained employment, (b) signed on as unemployed and (c) claimed an incapacity benefit; [39097]
- (2) how many employers were contracted with the Employment Service to run work trials during 1995-96. [39098]
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.
Letter from Robert Horne to Mr. Alan Howarth, dated 24 July 1996:
The Secretary of State has asked Mike Fogden to reply to your questions about the operation of Work Trials. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to him as Chief Executive of the Agency. I am answering in his absence as Finance Director of the Agency.
Mr. Forth:
Various workstart schemes have been piloted during the last three years. In total, almost 2,900 people have been placed into work. Assessment of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of workstart is getting very long-term unemployed people into work is continuing.
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the estimated cost to her Department of running (a) the work trials scheme, (b) the jobmatch scheme and (c) workstart. [39099]
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 449
Mr. Forth:
In this financial year, £6,435,000 has been allocated for running work trials, £5,104,000 for jobmatch and £2,350,000 for workstart. This includes expenditure by both the Employment Service, and the training and enterprise councils involved in the jobmatch pilots.
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people participated in the jobmatch schemes during 1995-96; what was the average amount payable to each participant; and how many participants subsequently (a) obtained employment, (b) signed on as unemployed or (c) claimed an incapacity benefit. [39100]
Mr. Forth:
Between April 1995 and March 1996, 3,361 people started the jobmatch programme. The estimated average amount paid to participants in allowances during this period was around £1,200. Jobmatch participants are in employment. Information is not yet available on the employment status of participants after the jobmatch allowance ceases. A follow-up survey of people who started jobmatch during 1995-96 is being conducted.
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many unemployed people have taken part in workstart schemes; and what assessment she has made of their effectiveness. [39101]
During the 1995/96 operational year 29,434 people participated in a Work Trial. Of these, 17,416 obtained employment following the trial. Work Trial participants remain registered unemployed and in receipt of benefit during their trial; participants whose trials do not lead to employment may consequently continue to be unemployed. Information is not collected about people participating in Work Trials whilst on an incapacity benefit.
We do not collect information on the number of individual employers participating in Work Trials.
I hope this is helpful.
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