---

Millennium Commission

Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the names, designations and salaries of the Members of the Board of the Millennium Commission. [6127]

Mr. Chris Smith [pursuant to his reply, 3 July 1997, c. 228]: The table of Millennium Commissioners contained an error, the correct information is as follows:

Millennium Commission

Role	Name	Start date of present term	Expiry date of present term
Chairman	Rt. hon. Chris Smith MP	19 May 1997	31 December 2000
Member	Rt. hon. Michael Heseltine MP	23 May 1997	31 December 2000
Member	Rt. hon. David Clark MP	19 May 1997	31 December 2000
Member	Dr. Heather Couper	17 February 1994	31 December 2000
Member	The Earl of Dalkeith, DL	17 February 1994	31 December 2000
Member	Sir John Hall, Bt	17 February 1994	31 December 2000
Member	Mr. Simon Jenkins	17 February 1994	31 December 2000
Member	Ms Patricia Scotland	17 February 1994	31 December 2000
Member	The Lord Glentoran, CBE DL	17 February 1994	31 December 2000

15 Jul 1997 : Column: 116

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Secondary Schools (East Sussex)

Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the average number of children in secondary school classes in East Sussex. [6983]

Mr. Byers: In January 1997 (provisional estimate), the average class size was 21.4 in one teacher classes in maintained secondary schools in the East Sussex Local Education Authority area.

Grant-maintained Schools

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his plans to change the status of grant-maintained schools; and when he expects to implement such plans. [7479]

Mr. Byers: The White Paper "Excellence in Schools" sets out our plans for introducing a new framework of community, aided and foundation schools. The new framework will incorporate all LEA and grant-maintained schools. We intend to introduce legislation to implement these plans in the Autumn.

Child Care

Mr. Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has for the long-term funding of the trained child-carers taken on under the new deal for the unemployed. [8035]

Mr. Andrew Smith: We are committed to the production of a national childcare strategy, which will plan provision to match the requirements of the modern labour market and help parents, especially women, to balance family and working life. We are currently considering the content of such a strategy, and will make an announcement in due course.

Young unemployed people will be offered the opportunity to obtain training and work experience in childcare as part of the New Deal programme. We hope this will create a larger skilled workforce in childcare, which will help to improve the overall position on childcare provision.

New Deal

Mrs. Gorman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of the New Deal's first year budget has been allocated to the provision of roadshows and regional conferences. [8204]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Some preliminary work has been undertaken to organise and deliver regional events.

It is not possible yet to say what proportion of the first year's budget is to be allocated to these events as the total budget for the delivery of the New Deal is still to be allocated.

Mrs. Gorman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the total in direct payments each person will receive over their six month period on the New Deal under each of the options. [8211]

15 Jul 1997 : Column: 117

Mr. Smith: Under the option of a job with an employer, young people will be paid the wage offered by their employers for the jobs they are doing. Young people who take up a job with a voluntary sector employer or in our Environment Taskforce will receive an allowance equivalent to benefit and will remain entitled to passported benefits: in addition, they will receive a grant of up to £400 paid in instalments. Those young people who take up the option of full-time education and training for up to twelve months will also receive an allowance equivalent to benefit and remain entitled to passported benefits: they will also have access to a discretionary grant to help with travel and other costs.

Mrs. Gorman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the estimated annual budget of the Advisory Task Force in the New Deal. [8206]

Mr. Smith: Members of the New Deal Advisory Task Force will be unpaid and will be supported by a small secretariat. The Task Force will be given the resources it needs to carry out the important role assigned to it in the Government's proposals for young and long-term unemployed people. It is not yet possible to estimate the annual budget.

Mr. Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) when the Government plans to extend the welfare to work assistance offered to the young and long-term unemployed and lone parents to those on incapacity benefit; [8034]

(2) what assistance whilst training and working will be given to those on incapacity benefit under the Government's New Deal proposals for the unemployed. [8036]

Mr. Smith: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his budget speech on 2 July that the Government was to set aside an additional £195 million to help those who are disabled or on Incapacity Benefit who want training or work and for other measures.

As on Welfare to Work and the New Deal generally, the Departments for Education and Employment and Social Security will work closely together, to ensure this money is used effectively to encourage and enable disadvantaged disabled people to access new training and work opportunities.

We will make an announcement about the type of assistance to be provided as soon as possible.

Pupils (Bus Safety)

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which laws govern the transporting of school pupils in a hired bus or coach. [7850]

Ms Estelle Morris: The main legislation in England governing the transport of school pupils in a hired bus or coach is:

Transport
the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 (as amended by the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994), the Transport Act 1985, the Road Traffic Act 1988, and regulations made under those Acts;
Health and Safety
the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992;

15 Jul 1997 : Column: 118

Home to School Transport
the Education Act 1996 (section 509).

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment who is legally responsible for the safety of pupils carried on a bus or coach hired by a school. [8037]

Ms Morris: Schools and LEAs in England are responsible for ensuring that they use an appropriate bus or coach company. Operators of public service vehicles are legally responsible for ensuring passenger safety.

Departmental Budgets

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what new plans he has to introduce cuts and savings in his Department as a result of the effect on his Department as a result of the effect on his Department's budgets for 1997-98 and 1988-99 of the upward revisions to the GDP deflators in the Budget on 2 July; and if he will make a statement. [8294]

Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 14 July 1997]: Along with all other Departments, my Department is reallocating spending within the Departmental ceiling as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Mr. Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if, following the recent Budget, he will give his estimate of the total real level of his Department's budget, in 1995-96 prices, in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99; if he will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997-98 and (2) 1998-99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if he will make a statement. [8293]

Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 14 July 1997]: The figures requested for my Department's spending plans within the Control Total are as follows: £13,141 million, £12,854 million, £13,343 million and £13,141 million.

In addition my Department will benefit from part of the Welfare to Work expenditure and the New Deal for Schools, which are outside the Control Total, and which were announced in the Budget.

Dearing Review

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to issue the Government's response to the Dearing review of higher education. [8704]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend expects to make an initial statement when the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education under Sir Ron Dearing reports very shortly. This will be followed by a fuller policy statement later in the year.

---