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Positive Discrimination
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the impact on employees of the recent European Court of Justice ruling to permit positive discrimination in favour of women. [16418]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The judgment does not require an amendment to the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. It would therefore be inappropriate to make a statement.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance he will issue to employers on the recruitment and employment of women following the European Court of Justice's ruling on positive discrimination in favour of women. [16415]
Mr. Andrew Smith: We have no current plans to issue guidance.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions he has held with (a) the Minister for Women and (b) the European Union Social Commissioner on the European Court of Justice's ruling relating to positive discrimination in favour of women. [16416]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I have held no such discussions.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to amend United Kingdom sex discrimination legislation to permit positive discrimination in favour of women following the recent European Court of Justice ruling. [16414]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The issues raised by the judgment in the case of Marschall v. Land NordRhein Westfalen are complex. The implications are still being considered. The European Court of Justice's judgment does not require an amendment to be made to the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, because Article 2(4) of the Equal Treatment Directive (under which the judgment is made) operates as a derogation from the equal treatment principle. It permits Member States to have positive discrimination provisions in certain limited circumstances it does not require them to have such provisions.
Teachers' Pay
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the basic starting salary for a newly graduated teacher (a) inside and (b) outside London; and if he will list the average earnings of teachers (i) inside and (ii) outside London in relation to length of service (1) in cash terms and (2) as a proportion of average earnings. [16430]
Mr. Byers: The basic starting salary at 1 April 1997 for a newly qualified teacher with a good honours degree in inner London was £16,341; in outer London it was £15,636; in the London fringe area it was £14,805; and outside London it was £14,280.
The average earnings of full-time teachers (including heads and deputies) in the maintained nursery, primary
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secondary and special sector at 31 March 1996 by five-year intervals of length of experience were, in cash terms:
| Length of service (years) | Greater London | England and Wales excluding Greater London |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| 0 : 1 | 16,200 | 14,300 |
| 5 : 6 | 22,500 | 19,600 |
| 10 : 11 | 25,100 | 22,100 |
| 15 : 16 | 26,100 | 22,900 |
| 20 : 21 | 26,900 | 23,900 |
| 25 : 26 | 28,200 | 25,100 |
| 30 : 31 | 29,200 | 26,600 |
| Over 31 | 30,200 | 27,800 |
Average full-time teacher salary as a percentage of average full-time earnings for all employees:
| Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|
| Length of service (years) | Greater London | England and Wales excluding Greater London |
| 0 : 1 | 68 | 82 |
| 5 : 6 | 95 | 113 |
| 10 : 11 | 106 | 128 |
| 15 : 16 | 110 | 132 |
| 20 : 21 | 114 | 138 |
| 25 : 26 | 119 | 145 |
| 30 : 31 | 123 | 154 |
| Over 31 | 127 | 161 |
Greater London figures are the percentage of the average Greater London earnings for April 1996. England and Wales excluding Greater London figures are the percentage of the average England and Wales excluding Greater London earnings for April 1996.
Welfare to Work
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how the benefits of those aged under 25 years who are unemployed and who refuse to take up any of the options offered by the Welfare-to-Work scheme will be affected. [14655]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Young people who without good cause refuse a New Deal place will lose their Jobseeker's Allowance for two weeks. Every time they refuse a further offer in the following 12 months they will lose JSA for four weeks.
Oxford and Cambridge Universities
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria for Higher Education Funding Council is using to evaluate value for money from college fees in its review of the funding of Oxford and Cambridge universities. [16364]
Dr. Howells: We have not yet received the Funding Council's advice on the mechanisms for setting future funding for universities and colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. It is for the Council to decide what criteria to use in formulating its advice.
Universities
Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures the Government (a) have taken and (b) are planning to take, to ensure that universities are responsive to the needs of the non-academic community. [16363]
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Dr. Howells:
The Government are encouraging and will encourage universities to meet the needs of employers and others in their communities in a number of ways.
We are continuing the Higher Education and Employment Development Programme, which exists to improve responsiveness to the labour market at a national level and to enhance the ability of employers to use the skills and knowledge that graduates bring. The Programme has a budget of £8 million over the next two years, during which we expect to support some 60 projects.
The Higher Education Regional Development Fund came into operation this year. This initiative aims to engage higher education systemically in supporting competitiveness and economic growth at a regional level through close partnerships with employers and employer-led organisations. The 1997-98 budget of £2.7 million is supporting 58 projects. Although funding is due to end in April 1998, the Government are considering a recommendation from the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education--the Dearing Committee--to extend it.
My Department is also supporting four feasibility studies on the development of graduate apprenticeships. These will explore the potential for creating opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates that combine academic study with work-based learning.
For the future, the Government are considering their response to the many other recommendations of the Dearing Committee intended to increase higher education's responsiveness to the needs of its non-academic stakeholders. We will announce our decisions soon.
Mr. Forth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of university degrees awarded were first class honours in (a) 1967, (b) 1977, (c) 1987 and (d) the latest year for which figures are available. [15316]
| Year | Percentage awarded first class honours |
|---|---|
| 1967 | (4)6.7 |
| 1977 | (5)5.8 |
| 1987 | (5)6.1 |
| 1996 | (6)7.0 |
(3) Excluding the Open University.
(4) Former University Funding Council institutions only.
(5) All higher and further education institutions.
(6) All higher education institutions.
Standards in Public Life
Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures his Department (a) has taken and (b) is planning to take, to
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take account of recommendations contained in the Second Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm. 3270). [16362]
Dr. Howells:
A summary of the actions taken so far on the Second Report by the Department, its funding and regulating bodies, and by local public spending bodies is contained in Appendices 2 and 9 of the Fourth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life "Review of the Standards of Conduct in Executive NDPBs, NHS Trusts and Local Public Spending Bodies".
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