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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 11 July 1997
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Sierra Leone
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list (a) the items of emergency and development aid being provided by the British Government to Sierra Leone and (b) their value. [7801]
Clare Short: My Department is not currently providing aid to Sierra Leone. However, we are supporting relief for Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea (£217,000) and the Gambia (£35,000).
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is the value of the aid that the British Government have committed themselves to provide to Sierra Leone under the Quick Action Programme. [7802]
Clare Short: My Department has pledged £6 million for the Quick Action Programme. Implementation is however suspended following the military coup on 25 May.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Key Stage 3 Results
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment by what dates (a) results of key stage 3 English SAT scores were intended to be returned to schools, (b) the last results were returned to schools and (c) schools are expected to return the results to the national data collection centre; and if he will make a statement. [7931]
Ms Estelle Morris: Results of the key stage 3 English tests were due to have been returned to schools by 27 June. The majority were returned by that date; the remainder were returned during the first two weeks of July as the scripts were cleared through the final checks put in place by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The test results are returned to the national data collection agency by the markers and not by schools.
Mr. Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment by what date he intends to publish an analysis of the results of key stage 3 English SATs. [7932]
Ms Morris:
We aim to publish the national results of this year's National Curriculum assessments by the end of September.
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Mr. Collins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the abolition of the binary divide in higher education and its performance. [7459]
Dr. Howells:
Our policy is to foster diversity of missions among institutions within a unified higher education sector so that they can offer a range of choice, meet a variety of needs among students as participation widens, and be genuinely responsive to students, staff and wider community interests. We shall of course wish to consider carefully any relevant recommendations of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education under Sir Ron Dearing.
Mr. Sanders:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about the future of the modern apprenticeship scheme. [7214]
Dr. Howells:
We have no doubt that the training of young people in the workplace to meet the needs of employment has a vital and increasing role to play in sustaining competitiveness to 2000 and beyond. Modern apprenticeships are a key component of this and are making a vital contribution to raising skills. Evaluation studies have consistently shown that Modern apprenticeships are highly popular, of high quality, and meeting the expectations of both employers and young people.
We want to sustain and build on this success and intend to develop modern apprenticeships in every sector where there is a demand. There are currently 70 sector frameworks approved with more expected in the next 12 months. Since modern apprenticeships began, over 100,000 young people have started training. There is every sign that employers' demand for Modern Apprentices will continue to grow and we and Training and Enterprise Councils will work together on how best to respond to that demand.
Public Interest Immunity
Mr. Geraint Davies: To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement concerning Government policy on public interest immunity. [8777]
The Attorney-General:
In accordance with the approach adopted by the last Government and set out in the paper placed in the Libraries of the House on 18 December 1996, public interest immunity will not be asserted by the Government unless the relevant Minister believes that disclosure of a document or piece of information will cause real damage to the public interest. The test will be applied rigorously.
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Where public interest immunity applies, Ministers will nevertheless make voluntary disclosure if they consider that the interests of justice outweigh the public interest in withholding the document or information in question. In all cases, a Minister's claim for public interest immunity is subject to the Court's power to order disclosure.
The approach will be followed in both criminal and civil cases.
Mr. Geraint Davies:
To ask the Attorney-General if he will announce the key performance targets for the Treasury Solicitor's Department for 1997-98. [8776]
The Attorney-General:
The Treasury Solicitor's Department was established as an executive agency on 1 April 1996.
The following key performance targets have been set for the year 1997-98:
A copy of the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
I wish the Treasury Solicitor and his staff a successful year.
Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many 16 and 17-year-olds have received severe hardship allowance in each year since their entitlement to benefit in respect of unemployment was withdrawn. [7891]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
Our objective is to reduce poverty and welfare dependency and to promote work incentives. We will develop a system that supports work, savings and honesty. One of our first steps is to focus on helping people off welfare and into work.
Unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds who register for work and training can exceptionally apply for benefit if they would otherwise face severe hardship. The number of such young people receiving benefit fluctuates throughout the year but the latest estimate is that some 12,000 receive it at any one point in time.
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Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the Warrington, North constituency have transferred from unemployment related benefits to invalidity or incapacity benefit in the last (a) five years and (b) 12 months. [6661]
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 10 July 1997]: Modernising the Social Security system is a key priority of this Government. We are committed to a review with the objective of reducing poverty and welfare dependency and promoting work incentives. Support for sick and disabled people will form part of that review.
The information requested for the last five years is not available, and the information requested for the last 12 months could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Sanders:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she plans to restore the Benefits Agency Freephone Hotline; and if she will make a statement. [6980]
Mr. Field:
Modernising the Social Security system is a key priority of this Government. We will streamline services to provide better, simpler more efficient services to claimants and other customers. There are no plans to restore the Benefits Agency Freeline service. I have asked Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency to write directly and for his reply to be published with this answer.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 10 July 1997:
to achieve annual efficiency savings of 2½ per cent.
to recover the full operating cost for chargeable services of the agency
to achieve 90 per cent. customer satisfaction in advisory services
to achieve a 2½ per cent. reduction in the average unit cost per chargeable hour (litigation)
to achieve a minimum average number of chargeable hours per full-time caseholder per year (litigation) of 1,100.
to achieve instructions in at least 8,000 new litigation cases
to achieve a 2½ per cent. reduction in the average unit cost per case (bono vacantia cases)
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the Benefits Agency Freeline service.
There are no plans to restore the Benefits Agency Freeline. Advice and information about benefit entitlement is available through the Agency's network of local benefit offices. Benefit literature is readily available in local offices, post offices and numerous other outlets.
Advice and information on benefits for the disabled, their representatives and carers is available from the Benefit Enquiry Line. The freephone number is 0800 882200.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
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