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Pupil Selection

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 4 November, Official Report, column 379, concerning the selection of pupils for secondary schools by aptitude or ability, what studies she has evaluated in respect of the indications of general academic ability at the age of 16 years which can be predicted by tests at the age of 11 years; who are the admissions authorities determining which tests are to be applied; and how many persons will be responsible for making these decisions. [2984]

Mr. Robin Squire: Research on value added in education consistently shows that prior attainment is the best single predictor of subsequent academic performance. Local education authorities and schools often compare the attainment of pupils entering secondary education with achievements at age 16, for management and other purposes. It is for the relevant school admission authority to decide if tests of aptitude or ability should form part of the admissions process.

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 4 November, Official Report, columns 379-80, concerning the proposed duty of grant-maintained and non-grant-maintained secondary schools to consider annually the introduction of selective entry, what estimate she has made of the percentage of parents of primary school children who prefer selective admission arrangements for secondary schools; and what sample polls she has conducted concerning such preferences. [2993]

Mr. Squire: A survey carried out for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, published on 22 January 1996, found that half those parents surveyed favoured selective education. Existing selective schools are popular with parents and many are significantly oversubscribed.

Secondary Schools

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her oral statement of 29 October, Official Report, column 471, concerning the successful co-existence of selective and comprehensive secondary schools, if she will list those local education authorities in whose areas such co-existence exists without prejudicing the standard of education of secondary school pupils. [2994]

Mr. Robin Squire: My right hon. Friend was referring to comments made by the hon. Member for Colchester, North (Mr. Jenkin) about educational standards in areas with both wholly selective and non-selective schools. In the majority of such areas the proportion of children receiving five or more GCSE grades A* to C is higher than the national average.

7 Nov 1996 : Column: 629

Minority Languages

Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice is issued by her Department to examination boards on the range of minority languages to be offered at A-level. [2989]

Mrs. Gillan: None.

Selective Education

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will take steps to ascertain the views of parents of children under the age of 11 years on proposals to introduce a system of selective education within the areas of those local education authorities where no such system currently exists in the maintained sector of secondary education. [2992]

Mr. Robin Squire: Governing bodies are best placed to assess local parental demand for the introduction or extension of selection in their schools. The Education Bill proposes that they should be required to consider the issue annually.

Bengali

Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations she has received regarding the availability of Bengali as an A-level subject. [2991]

Mrs. Gillan: My right hon. Friend has received letters about the availability of Bengali as an A-level subject from the hon. Members for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) and for Bath (Mr. Foster).

Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which examination boards currently offer Bengali as an A-level subject. [2990]

Mrs. Gillan: The Northern examination and assessment board currently offers Bengali at GCE A-level.

Personal Services

Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many jobs in the personal services industry, with special reference to male escort agencies, are classed as vacancies at jobcentres; and if she will break down the information by region; [2915]

(2) into what classification the Employment Service places jobs in the personal services industry, with special reference to jobs in male escort agencies and editing adult magazines; [2916]

(3) what guidelines are issued to jobcentre staff in respect of training advice on personal safety to female jobseekers who have been recommended to apply for jobs in the personal services industry, with special reference to work for escort agencies and adult magazines; [2918]

(4) if a jobseeker is entitled to refuse to attend an interview for work in the personal services industry without putting their benefit at risk. [2917]

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.

7 Nov 1996 : Column: 630

Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mrs. Helen Jackson dated 7 November 1996:

The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me to write to you direct about your questions of 4 November concerning vacancies in the personal services industry advertised in Jobcentres. This falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of the Employment Service.


The information you requested on the number of jobs in the personal services industry which are classed as vacancies is not available and the Employment Service does not collect specific information on the number of vacancies with male escort agencies.

The Employment Service does not classify vacancies as being in the personal services industry. All vacancies are classed according to the occupation.

All Jobcentres have guidance which gives points to check when considering the suitability of vacancies to ensure jobseekers are not put at risk. Jobcentres seek as much information as possible about the job, its location, whether the duties or hours are different from those normally expected for the type of job and whether the arrangements for interview are outside normal working hours and away from the work premises. For vacancies in the personal services sector special regard is paid to these factors.

In addition there is a leaflet available to jobseekers in all Jobcentres titled "Be Alert" which describes the steps to take to ensure personal safety when seeking work from an employer.

Guidance issued to Jobcentres state that if they are notified of vacancies which require models, offer employment in sauna baths, massage parlours, escort and kissogram agencies, or other personal/telephone services special regard should be paid to the reputation of the employer. Details are sought of establishment and conditions of training and employment, whether the hours of work or the location or interview arrangements give cause for concern and whether there is any indication of a lack of professional standards. Jobcentres are advised that where any concerns arise around the above issues that such vacancies should be treated with caution and in any cases of doubt they should refuse to handle the vacancies.

The Jobseeker's Act provides that jobseekers may be sanctioned for refusing or failing to apply for, or refusing or failing to accept a job notified to them by an officer of the Employment Service. Guidance to people in local offices emphasises that any vacancies offered to the jobseeker must be those which they are table to undertake. It would not be in either the jobseeker's or the employer's interests to submit jobseekers to vacancies for which they were unsuitable.

Jobseekers are told at the time they are made aware of a suitable vacancy that refusal or failure to apply for the job, or subsequent non-acceptance of the job offered, may result in loss of Jobseeker's Allowance. This ensures that the jobseeker can make their decision in the full knowledge of the consequences.

If the jobseeker subsequently refuses to apply for, or accept, a suitable job the case will be sent to an independent adjudication officer to determine whether the jobseeker had good cause for their refusal. The adjudication officer will examine the suitability of the job offered and the jobseekers reasons for refusal. In addition where the jobseeker refused the vacancy due to any sincerely held religious or conscientious objection this would constitute good cause.

I hope this is helpful in clarifying the position.

Teachers (Early Retirement)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (i) head teachers, (ii) deputy head teachers and (iii) teachers took early retirement on the grounds of ill health (a) in total and (b) in each local education authority in the financial year 1995-96; and if she will make a statement. [2970]

Mrs. Gillan: The following table shows the numbers of teachers in service at 31 March 1995 who were awarded ill-health retirement in the financial year 1995-96. The table covers the maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special education sector in England.

7 Nov 1996 : Column: 631

Ill-health retirements in financial year 1995-96 (provisional)

	Heads	Deputies	Classroom teachers
Corporation of London	0	0	0
Camden	0	*	18
Greenwich	*	0	16
Hackney	*	*	9
Hammersmith and Fulham	*	0	16
Islington	*	*	5
Kensington and Chelsea	*	0	8
Lambeth	0	0	16
Lewisham	*	0	10
Southwark	*	0	13
Tower Hamlets	0	0	8
Wandsworth	0	*	11
Westminster	*	*	7
Barking and Dagenham	*	*	6
Barnet	*	0	18
Bexley	*	*	8
Brent	0	*	10
Bromley	7	0	12
Croydon	*	0	17
Ealing	0	*	11
Enfield	*	0	16
Haringey	6	*	7
Harrow	0	*	13
Havering	*	*	17
Hillingdon	0	*	9
Hounslow	*	*	20
Kingston upon Thames	*	*	12
Merton	*	*	*
Newham	0	0	11
Redbridge	*	0	7
Richmond upon Thames	*	0	8
Sutton	0	*	13
Waltham Forest	*	*	16
Birmingham	6	9	93
Coventry	0	*	25
Dudley	*	*	23
Sandwell	*	*	20
Solihull	0	*	12
Walsall	*	*	30
Wolverhampton	0	*	19
Knowsley	*	0	12
Liverpool	*	*	40
St. Helens	*	*	11
Sefton	*	*	24
Wirral	*	*	26
Bolton	*	*	19
Bury	*	*	17
Manchester	*	*	34
Oldham	*	*	18
Rochdale	5	*	26
Salford	0	*	21
Stockport	*	*	32
Tameside	*	*	21
Trafford	*	*	23
Wigan	*	5	22
Barnsley	0	5	16
Doncaster	*	*	24
Rotherham	*	*	14
Sheffield	6	*	31
Bradford	7	5	37
Calderdale	*	*	20
Kirklees	*	*	38
Leeds	*	6	70
Wakefield	5	*	40
Gateshead	*	*	26
Newcastle upon Tyne	0	0	18
North Tyneside	*	*	9
South Tyneside	*	*	13
Sunderland	*	*	32
Avon	12	7	55
Bedfordshire	*	5	34
Berkshire	*	*	54
Buckinghamshire	5	*	41
Cambridgeshire	*	5	35
Cheshire	12	7	72
Cleveland	5	11	70
Cornwall	12	7	35
Cumbria	5	9	33
Derbyshire	14	9	46
Devon	17	9	74
Dorset	6	0	47
Durham	6	11	82
East Sussex	8	*	37
Essex	9	14	107
Gloucestershire	5	*	32
Hampshire	11	12	123
Hereford and Worcester	12	8	58
Hertfordshire	*	*	71
Humberside	5	13	85
Isle of Wight	*	0	15
Kent	26	9	128
Lancashire	24	19	167
Leicestershire	6	5	68
Lincolnshire	9	*	40
Norfolk	16	11	57
North Yorkshire	7	5	37
Northamptonshire	6	5	67
Northumberland	5	*	25
Nottinghamshire	13	8	75
Oxfordshire	*	*	43
Shropshire	7	*	27
Somerset	15	6	48
Staffordshire	8	11	113
Suffolk	8	*	49
Surrey	7	5	50
Warwickshire	5	*	37
West Sussex	8	*	25
Wiltshire	5	*	38
England	479	374	3,627

In order to avoid sensitive information about individuals being identified, numbers less than five are shown as asterisks.

7 Nov 1996 : Column: 632

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