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Student Funding
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the average funding per student in further education for students in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in each of the last five years.[14209]
Dr. Howells: The average funding per FEFC funded full-time equivalent student in further education in England (in £ cash rounded to the nearest £10) over the last four years (the 1992-93 figure is not on a comparable basis) was as follows:
- 1993-94: 2,820
- 1994-95: 2,810
- 1995-96: 2,670
- 1996-97: 2,570
Responsibility for further education matters in Scotland and Wales rests with my right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales respectively.
Reception Classes
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of four-year-olds in maintained reception classes had staffing ratios worse than 1 to 13 on 30 Janaury 1997. [14071]
Mr. Byers: Information about pupils and teachers in reception classes is not collected centrally.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many four-year-olds were in (a) maintained reception classes, (b) maintained nursery classes or schools and (c) voluntary and private settings (i) on 23 September 1997 and (ii) in January 1996. [14073]
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Mr. Byers:
The available information on four-year-olds in Janaury 1996 is shown in the following table.
| School type | Pupils(17) |
|---|---|
| Maintained nursery schools and nursery classes | 154,982 |
| Infant classes in Primary schools(18) | 343,436 |
| Independent schools(19) | 27,413 |
(17) Full-time and part-time pupils aged 4 years at 31 December 1995 (born between 1 January and 31 December 1991).
(18) Includes reception and other classes.
(19) Includes pupils in direct grant nursery schools.
Information on four-year-olds in schools and private and voluntary provision on 23 September 1997 will be available towards the end of the year.
"Excellence in Schools"
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will make a statement on the written representation he has received on his White Paper, "Excellence in Schools" from the Hampshire Association of Parish and Town Councils; [13906]
- (2) if he will list the parish and town councils from which he has received written representations in connection with his White Paper, "Excellence in Schools". [13907]
Mr. Byers: Our records show that, of the approximately 3,500 responses to the full version of the White Paper "Excellence in Schools", two were received from Parish and Town Councils or their representative bodies. The replies were from Hampshire Association of Parish and Town Councils (HAPTC) and Romsey Town Council.
HAPTC's response focused particularly on the principles of partnership and citizenship. Its contents have been taken into account as part of the analysis of all responses to the White Paper.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the total capital allocation for grant-maintained schools in England for each year since 1989. [13177]
Mr. Byers: The total capital allocations for grant maintained schools in England for each year since 1989 are as follows:
| Financial year | Capital allocations (£ millions) |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 8.5 |
| 1991-92 | 12.7 |
| 1992-93 | 32.2 |
| 1993-94 | 95.4 |
| 1994-95 | 122.0 |
| 1995-96 | 123.0 |
| 1996-97 | 138.0 |
| 1997-98 | 144.9 |
3 Nov 1997 : Column: 35
Free School Milk
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his policy on the provision of free milk for children of primary school age; and if he will make a statement. [13152]
Ms Estelle Morris: Where local education authorities and the governing bodies of grant-maintained schools in England provide drinking milk for primary-age children, they must provide it free of charge to pupils whose parents receive Income Support or income-based job seeker's allowance. We have no current plans to change these arrangements.
Public Footpaths
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many proposals for diversion or closure orders of public footpaths have been made to local education authorities since the publication of the report of the working group on schools security in May 1996. [13109]
Ms Estelle Morris: Proposals for the diversion or closure of public rights of way are considered by local highways authorities. Information about the number of such proposals submitted in respect of school premises is not collected centrally.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Pesticides
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the frequency with which national estimated daily intake calculations were performed for pesticide residues in each EU member state in each year since 1992. [13181]
Mr. Rooker: Estimated daily intake--EDI--calculations have been carried out in the United Kingdom as part of the pesticide approvals process in those cases where it appears that the acceptable daily intake--ADI--of residues in a food crop might be exceeded. For example, EDI calculations were made for chronic risk assessment purposes in preparing the paper "Unit to Unit Variation of Pesticide Residues in Fruit and Vegetables" which the Pesticides Safety Directorate published in March this year. However, precise information on how frequently these calculations have been carried out since 1992 would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Information on the frequency with which other EU member states carry out national EDI calculations is not held by the UK.
I will write to the hon. Member.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much financial compensation has been provided by the European Community since 1987 for fishing rights in national waters of non-EC states; what total tonnage of fish and other stocks has been involved; what was the value of the stocks concerned at market levels; and what proportion of the tonnage was granted to British trawlers. [13852]
3 Nov 1997 : Column: 36
Mr. Morley:
Details of the cost to the EU budget of fisheries agreements with third countries are provided in the table:
| ECU (million) | |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 81.9 |
| 1988 | 139.5 |
| 1989 | 161.5 |
| 1990 | 173.0 |
| 1991 | 171.4 |
| 1992 | 195.6 |
| 1993 | 188.9 |
| 1994 | 140.6 |
| 1995 | 158.1 |
| 1996(20) | 270.0 |
| 1997(20) | 246.3 |
(20) Budget appropriation. Final outturn expenditure figures not yet available.
The manner in which the fishing opportunities obtained in third country waters is expressed varies from agreement to agreement. Total vessel capacity, numbers of licences, reference tonnage's and numerical quotas are used either singly or in combination to describe the fishing opportunities available to Community vessels. It is not therefore possible to assess the total tonnage of fish stocks involved, the market value of the stocks concerned or the proportion granted to UK vessels.
On 30 October the Fisheries Council agreed a series of conclusions on future policy towards agreements with third countries, including the need for a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis.
Mr. Fabian Hamilton:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the outcome of the European Fisheries Council held on 30 October in Luxembourg. [14426]
Mr. Morley:
I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 30 October, together with my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland. Under each agenda item decisions were taken which will enhance fisheries conservation.
The Council agreed by qualified majority, with Denmark voting against, a wide ranging package of technical measures designed to conserve fish stocks by reducing catches of juvenile fish and discarding.
Key features of the present arrangements, such as the areas closed to protect juvenile fish, will be maintained. The minimum mesh size for cod, haddock and other large-bodied species was confirmed at 100mm in the North Sea and North West of Scotland, and will increase, with special transitional arrangements, from 80mm to 100mm in other waters to the west and south of the United Kingdom. Other measures to increase the selectivity of fishing nets include a new requirement to use square mesh panels in nephrops nets and limits on twine thickness. In order to assist enforcement, there will also be limits on the number of nets of different mesh sizes that fishermen may use on a single trip, with the detailed rules on this aspect to be decided next year.
3 Nov 1997 : Column: 37
The rules on discarding will change in order to reduce the quantity of fish discarded. The minimum landing sizes of fish will be made more consistent with the mesh sizes used, again in order to reduce discarding. Minimum sizes have also been improved for shellfish stocks to give this sector added protection.
The new conservation rules will come into effect on 1 January 2000 so as to give fishermen time to adapt their fishing gear and practices. The Government has worked closely with the fishing industry in discussing technical conservation measures and the new rules respond to many of their concerns. As well as securing conservation gains, we successfully resisted proposals which would have undermined effective enforcement at sea.
The Council unanimously agreed conclusions on future policy towards fisheries agreements with third countries. As a result the European Commission will undertake a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of these agreements. In the meantime the Council has called upon the Commission to explore ways of ensuring that the agreements are coherent with general development policy and involve fishing opportunities set at sustainable levels. The Council has also called upon the Commission to examine the funding arrangements and to provide full evaluations before expiring agreements are renewed or new agreements sought. I fully support these conclusions which lay the foundation for a more soundly based future policy.
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