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Primary School Teachers
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the average cost of each full-time primary school teacher in the present financial year. [764]
21 May 1997 : Column: 82
Mr. Byers:
The Department's estimate of the average cost of each full-time primary school teacher in the present financial year is around £25,600. This includes salary, national insurance and employers' superannuation costs.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the average cost per full-time pupil in secondary education, excluding pupils in receipt of special needs provision, in the present financial year. [765]
Mr. Byers:
In 1995-96, the latest year for which data are available, the net institutional expenditure per pupil in LEA maintained secondary schools, excluding special schools, in England was £2,286.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of pupils currently reach level four in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy standard assessment tests; and if he will make a statement. [750]
Ms Estelle Morris:
In 1996, the percentages of 11 year old pupils achieving level 4 or above in English and mathematics in England were as follows:
| Per cent. | Per cent. | |
|---|---|---|
| English | 60 | 58 |
| Mathematics | 60 | 54 |
The Secretary of State announced last week, 13 May, tough new national targets: by the time of the tests in 2002, 75 per cent. of 11 year olds would be reaching the standards expected for their age in maths, and; 80 per cent. would be reaching the expected standards in English. To support these targets he has established separate Literacy and Numeracy Task Forces to report on how best to boost standards in schools.
Class Sizes
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many classes in the new county of Wiltshire have over 30 children in (a) primary schools, (b) first schools and (c) middle schools. [98]
Mr. Byers: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Classes in primary schools | Of which classes in first schools |
|---|---|
| 291 | 11 |
(2) There were no middle schools in the new unitary authority area of Wiltshire in January 1996.
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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
ENVIRONMENT AND THE REGIONS
Civil Service (Ethnic Minorities)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the regions what proposals he has to increase the number of employees from ethnic minorities within his Department. [306]
Mr. Prescott: My Departments' current measures to enhance and encourage the employment and advancement of ethnic minorities are as follows.
Action plans for people of ethnic minority origin were first published in 1991 and are under constant review along with other equal opportunities action plans for women and disabled staff within which they are consolidated. Examples of how the action plans for ethnic minorities are put into practice include: the provision of a range of equal opportunities training for managers and staff; positive action training for developing the potential of ethnic minority staff only; training for members of interview panels; publicising staff vacancies in specialist recruitment publications which feature role models to help encourage ethnic minority group representation; a revised approach to staff appraisal procedures, backed up by mandatory training programmes, to eliminate prejudice by focusing on clarified objectives and a competency-based framework for assessing individuals' performance; participation in the Windsor Fellowship Scheme, providing vacation work experience for ethnic minority undergraduates and in the Office of Public Service's Double Disadvantage Study relating to ethnic minority women; membership of a mentoring consortium led by the East London University to contribute to the development of ethnic minority students through establishing links with role models in employment; offering networking opportunities for ethnic minority staff and positively encouraging them to apply for promotion and sit as panel members; monitoring and analysing success rates by ethnic origin of the processes of recruitment, internal postings, advancement, staff appraisal; identifying any barriers to progress and improving the processes to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace and reflect local needs; and formal annual reporting to Board level, the Trades Union Side and staff generally about equal opportunities progress. Executive Agencies have autonomy to develop comparable local strategies.
I shall want to review and consider the adequacy of these measures.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [305]
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Mr. Prescott:
Through voluntary and confidential surveys, the total number of civil servants at each grade who have declared their ethnic origin as Asian are:
| Grade and grade equivalents | |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 |
| Grade 7 | 5 |
| SE0 | 2 |
| HEO | 14 |
| EO | 29 |
| AO | 63 |
| AA | 24 |
| Grade and grade equivalent | Number |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 5 |
| Grade 7 | 17 |
| SEO | 33 |
| HEO | 18 |
| EO | 48 |
| AO | 156 |
| AA | 52 |
Cottamwear District Centre Site, Preston
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what powers the Commission for New Towns has to revise its present proposals for the use of the District Centre Site at Cottamwear, Preston. [251]
Mr. Caborn: Proposals for the site were originally made by the former Central Lancashire Development Corporation under Section 7(1) of the New Towns Act 1981 and were approved by the then Secretary of State in 1983 under Section 7(2) of the same Act.
Any changes to the approved development are subject to the normal planning application procedures and must be approved by the local planning authority.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what factors led the Commission for the New Towns to alter its original plans for the use of the District Centre Site at Cottamwear, Preston. [252]
Mr. Caborn:
I understand that the Commission for the New Towns wished to modify its original plans so as to allow for a single large supermarket, which it believes would be more appropriate to a large new housing area and would offer a wide range of facilities than could have been provided under the constraints of the existing planning permission.
Mr. Bennett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects (a) to publish the regulations on contaminated land and (b) to reply to the Environment Committee's report on contaminated land (Second report, Session 1996-97, HC 22). [36]
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Ms Angela Eagle:
We hope to make an announcement on how we propose to proceed before the Summer Recess and to provide a full response to the Environment Committee's report when Parliament reassembles in the Autumn.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what studies his Department has undertaken concerning a replacement for compulsory competitive tendering. [261]
Mr. Raynsford:
We are currently considering, with local government and other interested parties, the bet means to take forward our Manifesto commitment to replace compulsory competitive tendering with a duty on local authorities to secure 'Best Value'
Mr. Hill:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the timetable for the referendum on an elected strategic authority and mayor for London. [135]
Mr. Raynsford:
Subject to the necessary legislation being enacted by Parliament, we propose to hold a referendum in May next year.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that local authorities follow the current contents of PPG 6; and what is his Department's policy towards PPG 6. [249]
Mr. Caborn:
The Government is concerned to ensure that development of key town centre uses, whether shopping, offices, leisure or other appropriate uses, actively assists the regeneration of our town and city centres, as well as key district centres. I am keen to see our policy applied firmly and consistently, taking due account of local circumstances. We are also currently considering our Response to the Environment Committee's recent report on Shopping Centres.
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