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School Budgets (Unitary Authorities)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the impact on school budgets of the creation of unitary authorities; what estimate he has made of the impact of the change on the number of teachers; and what steps he proposes to take to alleviate budget reductions arising out of the change to unitary status. [1043]
Mr. Byers: It is for unitary authorities, like other education authorities, to determine for themselves what the size of their schools budgets should be in the light of local priorities. We are presently reviewing the education element of the Standard Spending Assessment to ensure a fairer distribution of government grant. This may well benefit unitary authorities.
Business in the Community
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assistance he proposes to give to the Business in the Community initiative. [1040]
Mr. Byers: My right hon. Friend will consider what support he might give to Business in the Community on receipt of a developed proposal.
University Grants
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the current level of grant given by his Department to each of the universities. [1049]
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Dr. Howells:
Under the Funding and Higher Education Act 1992, the Department pays grant to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which in turn distributes it to universities and colleges. The Act prohibits the Government from intervening in the allocation of grant to individual institutions.
The Funding Council announced the funding allocations for the academic year 1997-98 in February 1997. A copy of the Circular has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate his Department has made of the number of graduates who (a) find employment, (b) are unemployed, (c) have debt outstanding and (d) suffer bankruptcy within one year of graduating. [1047]
Dr. Howells:
Of the 214,000 full-time degree graduates from HE institutions in the UK in the 1994-95 academic year, data on destinations six months after graduation are known for 178,000 of them. Of these, 106,000 entered employment and 15,000 were assumed unemployed. The remainder either entered further training, were not available for employment or training, or were overseas students returning overseas. The information requested on debt and bankruptcy is not held centrally.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the National Funding Council for Higher Education study on the chances of children from different social class backgrounds going on to study in university; and what steps he intends to take to improve the educational opportunities of disadvantaged children. [965]
Dr. Howells:
The report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England on the influence of neighbourhood type on participation in higher education points out that the variation of participation in higher education by social group is closely related to educational achievement up to 18 years of age. The report, which has been submitted to the Dearing Inquiry into Higher Education, confirms the need for action to be taken to improve standards in schools. The Government has put the raising of standards for all pupils at the heart of its agenda for change. It has set clear targets for literacy and numeracy, namely that by the end of this Parliament every child should reach the appropriate National Curriculum levels for age 11. If these demanding targets are met, the educational opportunities for all children will be greatly improved, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds who hitherto have often under-achieved. A copy of the report will be available shortly and will be placed in the Library.
Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on (a) the range of persons who will be entitled to vote in referendums called in pursuit of the Government's
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policy for determining the future of existing grammar schools and (b) the procedures under which such referendums will be initiated. [977]
Mr. Byers:
The Government has made clear that any changes in the admissions policies of grammar schools will be decided by local parents. Implementing that commitment will require legislation and details will be set out in due course.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his Department's initiatives to increase the number of those from ethnic minority backgrounds in work. [1039]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
At present we are developing plans to implement our manifesto commitment to reduce unemployment and welfare dependency, particularly amongst young people. I will ensure that people of ethnic minority origin benefit from this programme. I also intend to ensure that all the Department's policies, programmes and initiatives effectively meet the needs of those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of students in higher education are from ethnic minority backgrounds; and what initiatives he proposes to take to increase their number. [1041]
Dr. Howells:
Ethnic minorities are well represented in higher education compared to their representation in the population as a whole. Nearly 12 per cent. of home students in the UK are from ethnic minority backgrounds, even though they form only 6 per cent. of the total GB population and 8 per cent. of the population aged 16 to 24 years.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what research relating to other countries regarding student debt and employment figures his Department has evaluated. [1048]
Dr. Howells:
No information is held centrally on student debt in other countries. Available information for other countries on graduate employment is contained in OECD's "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" publication, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will review the current arrangements in which persons in receipt of the jobseeker's allowance cannot reclaim travel expenses when signing on if their home is within a specified distance of the jobcentre. [1018]
Mr. Alan Howarth:
We have no plans to do so. It is a very long-standing practice that jobseekers bear their own costs for their normal fortnightly attendance at the Jobcentre.
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Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many places, at which schools and at what cost were provided under the assisted places scheme in the Bournemouth area of the Dorset local education authority in (a) 1995-96 and (b) 1996-97. [1219]
Mr. Byers:
there is one school participating in the assisted places scheme in the Bournemouth area, Talbot Heath School. In academic year 1995-96 there were 138 assisted pupils at the school and the total cost of the places was £525,000. In the current academic year 1996-97 there are 164 assisted pupils and the cost is estimated to be £630,000.
Mr. Grant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the expenditure by the North London district of the Employment Service excluding administration costs, at cash and constant prices, in each year since 1987-88 on (a) Training for Work, and the programmes it replaced, (b) Youth Training and Modern Apprenticeships, and the earlier YTS, (c) the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, (d) Jobclubs, (e) Restart courses, Jobplan workshops and Workwise, and (f) Community Action; and if he will make a statement. [839]
Mr. Alan Howarth
[holding answer 22 May 1997]: 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 Leigh Lewis to Mr. Bernie Grant, dated 2 June 1997:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding expenditure by the North London District of the Employment Service on a number of programmes since 1987. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
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The table below outlines expenditure by the North London District of the Employment Service on Jobclubs, Restart, Jobplan, Workwise and Community Action since 1993. I will turn to the other programmes you mention later. I should explain that we have only provided information going back to 1993 because it is our policy to hold records of expenditure regionally for three years. However, I hope that you will find the information given below helpful. I ought to say that Workwise was not introduced until April 1995 and that the Community Action programme ran from November 1993 to June 1996.
Name of programme 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97
Jobclub 1,197,413 1,276,546 1,304,239 688,463
Restart 312,179 233,850 178,438 166,616
Jobplan 751,440 627,135 410,119 415,907
Workwise n/a n/a 129,051 112,427
Community Action 125,375 541,500 508,473 48,760
I should explain that some of the programmes and employment initiatives you mention do not fall under the responsibility of the Employment Service. These are Training for Work (TfW), the Enterprise Allowance Scheme and Youth Training, Modern
Apprenticeships, and the earlier YTS. This means that the North London District of the Employment Service did not incur any expenditure on these programmse and initiatives.
I hope this is helpful.
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