| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
European Structural Fund
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how much money has been withheld from the United Kingdom by the European Commission as a result of the Government's decision not to participate in objective 4 of the European structural fund (a) as a percentage of the total United Kingdom allocation and (b) in pounds sterling for the period 1994 to 1996; [2403]
- (2) what sum has been withheld from (a) the west midlands region and (b) the city of Birmingham by the European Commission as a result of the Government's decision not to participate in objective 4 of the European structural funds (i) as a percentage of the total United Kingdom allocation and (ii) in pounds sterling for the period 1994 to 1996. [2405]
Mr. Paice: Some 3,377 million ecu are available for spending in Great Britain under objectives 3 and 4 of the structural funds between 1994 and 1999. The objective 3 plan for 1994 to 1996 period, which was agreed with the European Commission, provided for 1,501 million of that money to be spent in the UK. The remaining 1,876 million ecu are available for spending in Great Britain under objectives 3 and 4 of the structural funds between 1997 and 1999. The plans for spending that money are currently being negotiated.
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what sums her Department estimates will be withheld from the United Kingdom European Commission as a result of the Government's decision not to participate in objective 4 of the European structural fund (a) as a percentage of the total United Kingdom by the allocation and (b) in pounds sterling for 1997 to 1999. [2404]
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 625
Mr. Paice: There is no reason to believe that any sums will be withheld by the European Commission for 1997 to 1999. Officials are currently negotiating plans with the Commission for the combined budget for objective 3 and 4 between 1997 and 1999.
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what factors underlay her Department's decision not to participate in objective 4 of the European structural fund, and what plans she has to review her policy. [2398]
Mr. Paice: We preferred to spend the joint budget for objective 3 and 4 on help for unemployed people. Officials are currently negotiating the use of the budget for 1997 to 1999 with the European Commission.
Medical Pay Awards
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to make an announcement on the alignment of academic medical pay awards this year with medical pay awards generally within the NHS; and if she will make a statement. [2662]
Mr. Forth: My right hon. Friend holds to the view that academic medical pay awards should generally be aligned with NHS medical pay awards, settled following the Doctors and Dentists Remuneration Review Body recommendations, but it is for university and college employers to set pay levels.
Barnsley and Doncaster Training and Education Council
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps her Department
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 626
is taking to encourage partnerships between Barnsley and Doncaster TEC and the local employment service.[2677]
Mr. Paice: Barnsley and Doncaster TEC has in place a joint statement of arrangement with the two local Employment Service district offices in its area, for liaison and co-operation. This results in regular meetings between the TEC, Employment Service district managers and lead suppliers to discuss and take forward operational matters.
The statement of arrangement has been strengthened this year by the addition of specific targets for training for work referrals and starts; and arrangements for joint monitoring of performance.
Testing
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment (a) she and (b) bodies receiving public funds, have made of the impact of the joint requirements of the national curriculum and key stage testing on the ability of school staff and heads to order the manner of individual and corporate learning most likely to attain the objectives set out by The national forum for values. [2694]
Mrs. Gillan: None. Such assessment would be premature, given that the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority has only just started consulting on the recommendations of its national forum for values in Education and the Community.
Information Technology Projects
Ms Church: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many information technology projects have been undertaken since 1992 and are planned for the coming year, in cost bands of £1,000,000. [1905]
Mr. Robin Squire: The number of information technology projects undertaken since 1992 is:
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 625
| Financial Years | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost band | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | Total |
| £0-£1 million | 68 | 43 | 61 | 71 | 81 | 324 |
| £1-£2 million | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| £2-£3 million | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 2 |
| £3-£4 million | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| £4-£11 million | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| £11-£12 million | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 625
The project numbers for 1996-97 include those planned and started. Further projects will be added for the coming year after the annual round of consultations with customers.
Sponsor Governors
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the functions and purpose of proposed sponsor governors for county and controlled schools; under what circumstances she would expect to use her proposed powers of direction; and what financial arrangements she would expect to be agreed prior to her decision to make a directive. [2693]
Mr. Robin Squire: The Department proposes to enable county, voluntary-controlled and special agreement secondary schools have to have sponsor governors. This
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 626
will help such schools strengthen their links with the business world and enable sponsors to take part in governance to the mutual benefit of school and sponsor. Similar arrangements exist for grant-maintained and voluntary-aided schools. We would expect a direction to be made only after a request by the governing body of a school designated as a specialist school to change its instrument of government to include sponsor governors. No financial arrangements would need to be agreed prior to a decision to make a directive.
Competitive Admissions
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment who will be responsible for (a) deciding on the criteria of tests used, (b) conducting the tests or examinations and (c) establishing
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 627
arrangements for external adjudicators for a maintained school which has received approval to obtain its annual entry by means of a competitive admissions policy. [2695]
Mr. Robin Squire: The admission arrangements of a selective or partially selective school are, and will continue to be, the responsibility of the relevant school admission authority: the local education authority in the case of a county or controlled school and the governing body in the case of a voluntary-aided, special agreement or grant-maintained school.
Education Bill
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will send a copy of the Education Bill to each primary and secondary maintained school head teacher in England and Wales, together with a letter requesting them to report in respect of (a) each clause, (b) each group of clauses and (c) related schedules, (i) any problems they foresee in their implementation and (ii) any likely consequential effects. [2696]
Mr. Forth: No. Many of the proposals in the Bill have already been the subject of widespread consultation and we doubt whether head teachers would welcome such a request.
Disabled Pupils
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimates she has made of the resources available to each local education authority to provide (a) extra facilities, (b) extra teachers and (c) extra funds, over those allocated under local management of schools formulae, to be devoted to meeting the special behavioural and scholastic needs of pupils in mainstream (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools, not being schools already wholly devoted to the needs of pupils with innate disabilities. [2697]
Mr. Robin Squire: It is for the LEAs to decide how to allocate the resources at their disposal, for which Government provision is made in the light of the full range of LEAs' responsibilities.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment from what source she expects the Funding Agency for Schools to obtain the costs of establishing a new grant-maintained school under powers granted to it. [2698]
Mr. Robin Squire: The capital costs that fall to the Funding Agency for Schools when it establishes a new grant-maintained school would have to be met from the capital resources available to the agency. The recoupment of recurrent costs from the local education authority in which a new GM school is situated will be considered case by case.
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 4 November, Official Report, column 376, if borrowing by grant-maintained schools to expand their capacity by up to 50 per cent. by means of commercial borrowing or the private finance initiative, will be taken into account in their grant formula as distinct from the formulae used for schools of their category expanding their capacity. [2985]
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 628
Mr. Squire: It is for the Funding Agency for Schools to decide how the sums available for GM schools' capital are distributed among individual schools in the light of the priorities for GM capital spending.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |