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University Funding
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the amount of university funding per student in England in (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96, (c) 1996-97 and (d) 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [16935]
Dr. Howells: Public funding in cash terms per higher education student in England paid through grants to the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Teacher Training Agency and through publicly funded tuition fees was £4,973 in 1994-95; £4,976 in 1995-96; £4,803 in 1996-97; and is £4,858 in 1997-98.
Age Discrimination
Dr. Vis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the protection afforded under (a) European Union and (b) United Kingdom law to employees against age discrimination. [17044]
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Mr. Andrew Smith:
Employees in the UK are afforded protection under employment legislation. However, there is no specific age discrimination legislation in either the United Kingdom or the European Union.
Dr. Vis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance his agencies issue to (a) employers and (b) employees about age discrimination in the work place. [17041]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
My colleagues and I take every opportunity to explain to employers the benefits of a diverse workforce. The Employment Service encourages employers to recruit on merit, irrespective of age. It also encourages jobseekers to treat age as a positive asset in jobsearch and provides advice on handling objection to employment which may be due to age.
Dr. Vis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is the Government's policy on age discrimination in the work place; [17042]
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Mr. Andrew Smith:
The Government believes that age discrimination in employment is unfair and makes no economic sense, either for business or society. I told my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall North on 22 May 1997, Official Report, column 825, that I intended to consult widely on the best approach to this issue. The consultation is taking place.
Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria are laid down by his Department for LEAs obtaining support for bids under the New Deal scheme for replacing old school buildings; and if he will make a statement. [17024]
Mr. Byers:
We issued guidance to Local Education Authorities (LEAs) on how to bid for the next tranche of New Deal for Schools funding on 5 November. In deciding allocations, we shall consider LEAs plans to meet their most urgent building needs as a whole. We are asking LEAs to assess the condition of their school buildings objectively in four priority bands. This will allow us to compare the needs of LEAs consistently across the country.
Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the procedure followed by his Department in approving funding for design work on the replacement of old school buildings and in allocating funding for the replacement of such schools. [17025]
Mr. Byers:
For county schools, we do not allow separately for design fees when we allocate Annual Capital Guidelines (ACGs) or Supplementary Credit Approvals (SCAs); design fees are part of the project costs which LEAs meet from borrowing and other sources of funding at their disposal. For voluntary aided and special agreement schools, LEAs may bid for grant aid for design fees in the annual capital bidding round in October each year or, in the case of statutory proposals, before publication. The annual bidding letter sets out the priorities for distributing resources to schools. Authorities may bid to replace a school in the Exceptional Basic Need (EBN) category. EBN funding is only given if the building will have to be taken out of use within the next twelve months; repair is impracticable; and no alternative provision exists.
For New Deal for Schools allocations in 1997-98, we gave priority to bids to cover the development costs of innovative Public Private Partnerships and building work which could be completed between 30 September 1997 and 31 March 1998. No whole-school replacements were supported.
Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those schemes included in the 1997-98 financial year bids for school replacements which are due for completion by 31 March 1998. [17026]
Mr. Byers:
No Annual Capital Guideline or Supplementary Credit Approval cover, grant aid for governors costs, or grant through the New Deal for Schools
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is being provided in 1997-98 for whole school replacements scheduled for completion before 31 March 1998.
Mr. Dawson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the allocation of additional resources to Lancaster Adult College. [17546]
Dr. Howells:
On 12 November, my right hon. Friend set out the Government's vision and priorities for further education. He announced additional funding for the sector next year, totalling £83 million. The Further Education Funding Council will take decisions, in the light of guidance from my right hon. Friend, on the general principles to be applied to funding for the academic year 1998-99. Allocations of funding to sector colleges, and external institutions like Lancaster Adult College, are the responsibility of the Council which will make them early next year.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps the Government have taken to meet local government associations and council leaders for authorities covering South-East England since 1 May. [16504]
Mr. Raynsford:
My Ministerial colleagues and I have met on a number of occasions with representatives of the Local Government Association, the Association of London Government and individual council leaders since 1 May, to discuss a wide range of topics, including the London and South East Regional Planning Conference (SERPLAN).
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Government intend to continue the updating of statistics which the 1995 White Paper on Rural England and its 1996 update emphasised the importance of updating; and if he will make a statement. [16506]
Angela Eagle:
We have no plans to publish an update of the commitments set out in the previous Administration's White Papers on Rural England, but statistics on issues affecting the countryside continue to be collected and updated. Much of this information is published.
For example, we will be undertaking a major national survey of the habitats, plants, landscape features and land types of the British Countryside to mark the end of the Millennium. Countryside Survey 2000 will update and extend previous surveys undertaken at intervals over the last 20 years.
Mr. Brazier:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the total
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projected costs to British business of the amended European Union directive on the placing of biocidal products on the market; and what discussions he has had with British business interests on this matter. [16984]
Angela Eagle:
I have had no direct discussions with British business about the Biocidal Products Directive. The Health and Safety Executive have consulted business on all aspects of this directive through regular meetings of a working group on biocides.
(2) what proposals his Department has to tackle age discrimination in the work place. [17043]
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