| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Student Debts
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of higher education students who will be unable formally to graduate in 1997 from higher education institutes because of debts owed to those institutes; and if he will make a statement. [4114]
Dr. Howells: None. The information requested is not available centrally.
New Deal
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to announce details of his new deal for young people. [5186]
Mr. Alan Howarth: Details of the new deal for young people will be announced shortly.
Nursery Education
Mr. Paice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what support will be available for parents of four-year-olds currently using private or voluntary sector providers where their local education authority does not have an approved interim early years development plan. [5197]
26 Jun 1997 : Column: 640
Mr. Byers
[holding answer 24 June 1997]: Where a local education authority does not have an approved interim early-years development plan and parents currently using private or voluntary sector providers wish to continue doing so for the coming Autumn and Spring terms, then those parents will be entitled to certificates of eligibility. These certificates will cover fees up to £366 per term for up to five sessions of education per week each lasting at least two and a half hours.
Mr. Pond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many jobfinders' grants were paid in 1996-97; and at what cost. [5438]
Mr. Alan Howarth:
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. Christopher Pond, dated 26 June 1997:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about how many Jobfinder's Grants were paid in 1996-97; and at what cost. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
During 1996-97, 17,300 Grants were paid at a cost of £3.8 million.
I hope this is helpful.
Public Utilities
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much (a) British Telecom, (b) the water and sewerage companies, (c) the regional electricity companies, (d) the electricity generators, (e) British Gas, (f) BAA and (g) Railtrack received in funding for training from the Further Education Funding Council budgets in (i) 1995-96 and (ii) 1996-97; and if he will make a statement. [5577]
Dr. Howells: This information is not centrally available.
Construction Industry
Mr. Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans the Government have to review the role and function of the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board. [6136]
Dr. Howells: Against the background of the established practice of carrying out quinquennial policy and financial management reviews of non-departmental public bodies, my Department will conduct a thorough review of the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board during 1997-98.
The first stage of the review will have the following terms of reference:
26 Jun 1997 : Column: 641
1. To review the functions of the Boards, and the likely need in the future of these functions.
2. To consider whether some or all of the functions can be better performed through other means.
The study is now underway and I would welcome comments form interested parties. Comments, which may be made public unless respondents specifically request otherwise, should be sent by 30 July 1997 to:
3. To review the efficiency and effectiveness of the Boards in carrying out their functions.
4. To consider the powers, terms of reference, constitutional status, membership and activities of the Boards.
5. To report the outcomes of the reviews by late September 1997.
Mike Beck
Department for Education and Employment
Industry Training Board Quinquennial Review Team
N207
Moorfoot
Sheffield
S1 4PQ.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Poverty
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the methods by which Her Majesty's Government assesses the level of poverty existing in the United Kingdom. [867]
Mr. Bradley: The policies of the previous administration led to poverty and social division in our society. The Government is committed to mounting a concerted attack against the worklessness which is causing social and economic inequality, and welfare dependency.
Information on those with low incomes is available in the Government Statistical Service publication "Households Below Average Income". This annual report seeks to measure potential living standards derived from goods and services financed from disposable income. It provides a range of statistics monitoring the characteristics of people at various points in the income distribution, and describes how changes in income over time have affected particular groups. Complementary information is provided on possession of consumer durables and on household expenditure.
Households Below Average Income was last published in November 1996, and a copy is in the Library.
Ms Kelly:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals she has to implement a national child care strategy; and if she will make a statement. [3055]
Ms Harman:
I will be working closely with my colleague, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, whose Department has responsibility for developing and implementing a National Child Care Strategy. This Strategy will match provision to the requirements of the modern labour market and help parents, especially women, to balance family and working life. The availability of good quality and affordable child care not only benefits women, it has wide-ranging benefits for the whole community. Most important of all, it benefits children.
26 Jun 1997 : Column: 642
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has already made clear the importance he attaches to the development of a coherent programme for the education and care of young children that, along with after school provision, helps parents who want to work. The integration of education and child care is central to this programme, ensuring that children as well as parents benefit from provision.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will review the role of LETS within areas of high unemployment. [4880]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
The Government believes that work is the best form of welfare for people of working age. Our Welfare to Work objectives are to provide work incentives, to reduce poverty and welfare dependency and to strike a new balance between rights and responsibilities. A programme of monitoring and evaluation is under way to enable us to ensure that Jobseeker's Allowance contributes to achieving our objectives.
In addition to this major evaluation exercise, we shall also keep the individual benefit rules, including the treatment of the Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS), under active consideration as we develop our plans.
Ms Julie Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will reform the administration of the Social Fund to enhance the rights of appeal given to claimants. [5498]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
The Social Fund is made up of two parts--the regulated and discretionary schemes. The regulated scheme is based on rules of entitlement. Payments are not cash limited and are subject to the appeal procedures relevant to all regulated Social Security benefits.
Decisions on discretionary Social Fund payments are made from a cash-limited budget. These payments are subject to a special review procedure specifically designed to suit the cash limited and discretionary nature of the scheme. Applicants who are dissatisfied with the discretionary decision already have access to immediate redress locally, and a further right of review by the Independent Review Service if they are still dissatisfied.
The Social Fund review process provides a comprehensive system of redress which is quick, fair and reasonable. It is well suited to a cash-limited discretionary scheme. We have no plans to integrate it into the Social Security appeals system.
Ms Keeble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what proportion of cases being dealt with by the CSA, the parent with care of the child is not receiving benefit, described under section 6 of the Child Support Act 1991 (a) in total, (b) by region and (c) by county. [4381]
26 Jun 1997 : Column: 643
Mr. Keith Bradley:
We believe that all children are entitled to the support of both parents wherever they may live. Children should be supported by the taxpayer only when their parents are unable to do so. The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Ms Sally Keeble, dated 25 June 1997:
Regional totals do not sum to the Great Britain total as some postcode data are sufficient to allow a regional breakdown.
We do not record the above statistics at levels lower than by region.
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the proportion of CSA cases where the parent/person with care is not in receipt of benefit as described under section 6 of the Child Support Act 1991.
At 28 February 1997, of the 579,180 live and assessed cases recorded on the Child Support Computer System, 11% of parents/persons with care were not in receipt of income support or other prescribed benefits. The table attached shows a breakdown by region, a breakdown by county is not available.
I hope this is helpful.
Number of cases Not in receipt of IS/FamC/DWA
Number Per cent.
Great Britain 579,180 65,000 11
North 40,660 4,180 10
Scotland 45,620 4,080 9
Yorkshire and Humberside 54,200 4,700 9
North West 74,280 9,180 12
East Midlands 35,680 3,840 11
West Midlands 52,320 5,320 10
East Anglia 18,540 1,900 10
Wales 37,200 5,180 14
South East 135,060 16,700 12
South West 47,720 6,480 14
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |