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Further Education
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance he will give to further education colleges on the use of hardship funds. [63472]
Mr. Mudie:
College hardship funds are provided by colleges themselves and their use is not subject to guidance by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. In many cases hardship funds are paid alongside Further
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Education Access Funds. My right hon. Friend's guidance on the use of these Funds is that they should address financial barriers to the access and completion of training and encourage participation.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will review the range of assistance available to further education students out of access funds. [63471]
Mr. Mudie:
My right hon. the Secretary of State has recently reviewed the assistance available to further education students from Access Funds and last month announced significant improvements in funding and an extension of scope to students aged 16 to 18 years old.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he intends to publish his response to the representations received by his Department in respect of his consultation paper regarding accountability in the governance of further education colleges. [63469]
Mr. Mudie:
My right hon. Friend published the Department's response to this consultation on 27 November. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to increase the average level of funding per unit at FE colleges in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01; and if he will list the average level of funding unit values for each of the previous five years. [62090]
Mr. Mudie:
Latest information for the financial years 1994-95 to 1998-99 gives the following cash figures for public funding per full-time equivalent student in further education:
| Financial years | |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 3,040 |
| 1995-96 | 2,930 |
| 1996-97 | 2,920 |
| 1997-98 estimated | 2,950 |
| 1998-99 planned | 2,900 |
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has announced additional funding of £725 million for the Further Education sector over the next two years. In the first of these years, 1999-2000, the average level of funding per full-time equivalent student, including additional employer contributions but excluding the allocations for capital and the Further Education Standards Fund, will be subject to a 1 per cent. efficiency gain. This compares with an estimated average annual efficiency gain of over 3.5 per cent. for the period 1994-95 to 1998-99. An announcement on the position for 2000-2001 will be made next year.
New Deal (Winchester)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have entered the New Deal Gateway in the Winchester City Council area since its inception; and how many took up each New Deal option. [63159]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
It is not possible to provide separate figures for individual towns or council areas.
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The latest Government Statistical Service figures for the Mid Hampshire Unit of Delivery, which covers Winchester, show that to the end of September 1998 (a) 206 young people had entered the Gateway and 41 have secured unsubsidised employment; (b) 17 had joined one of the four options. This breaks down to: 2 on the Employment option; 3 on the Voluntary Sector option; and 12 on the Full-Time Education and Training option.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many requests his Department received prior to the United Kingdom presidency of the European Union, to update material available on the EU; and if he will make a statement. [64092]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for lifelong learning, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Mudie), on 18 November 1998, Official Report, columns 639-40.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in how many cases convicted sex offenders have been offered placements working with children under the New Deal programme; and when he was informed of such cases. [63886]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[holding answer 14 December 1998]: I am not aware of any cases of convicted sex offenders being offered placements working with children under the New Deal programme. We have investigated the allegations in press articles of 8 December, but have been unable to substantiate them.
Mr. Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to instigate a review of New Deal placements involving contact with children. [63370]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[holding answer 14 December 1998]: Those providing such placements are contractually required to undertake relevant checks. We will investigate
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any specific cases in which it is claimed that unsuitable people have gained jobs with children through the New Deal. There is currently a wider review through an Interdepartmental Working Group looking at many issues around preventing unsuitable people working with children.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what steps he is taking to prevent convicted sex offenders obtaining placements working with children under the New Deal programme; [63887]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[holding answer 14 December 1998]: The primary responsibility for checking the suitability of people they recruit rests firmly with the employers. Guidance has been issued to ensure that everybody working in the Employment Service understands their responsibilities. No Employment Service officer would knowingly submit a serious offender for a job working with children but they have been reminded of the need for vigilance and of the importance of reminding employers of their responsibilities.
The Employment Service is already working closely with other agencies, including the Home Office, to explore what else can be done, including more effective arrangements for the exchange of information.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the monthly expenditure on (a) Gateway provision and (b) other provision for the New Deal for young people by region from January to the end of September. [63276]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[holding answer 14 December 1998]: Expenditure which has been brought to account by the Employment Service since national roll-out of New Deal for Gateway provision is £814,540 and £8.9 million for the New Deal options. This is shown in the table.
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(2) what assessment he has made of the risk of convicted sex offenders being offered placements working with children under the New Deal programme; and what steps he is taking to prevent such placements being made. [63888]
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