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New Deal (Women)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what assessment he has made of the arrangements for encouraging women to take up subsidised work under the New Deal; [63716]
(2) what assessment he has made of the factors which make women more likely to be transferred to other benefits while on the New Deal than men; [63715]
(3) what steps he has taken to encourage more women to join the New Deal. [63714]
Mr. Andrew Smith [holding answer 16 December 1998]: All young people who have been unemployed and claiming Jobseekers Allowance for six months or more, are eligible for New Deal whether they are men or women. During the Gateway all participants are equally encouraged to look for unsubsidised work or take up one of the New Deal options, including subsidised work or take up one of the New Deal options, including subsidised employment. The reasons for transfer to other benefits, including differences in transfer rates between men and women, are being examined as part of the New Deal evaluation.
The latest Government Statistical Service data for end of September show that of the 167,400 young people who start new Deal 43,700 (26 per cent.) were female.
Prisoners (University for Industry)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to promote the take up of the University for Industry courses amongst prisoner inmates. [64426]
Mr. Mudie: There are no definite plans yet to promote the University for Industry among prison inmates. However, distance learning opens up new opportunities to deliver education and training in prisons and the University for Industry may therefore be of potential benefit to prison inmates. Ministers have already met colleagues at the Home Office to consider the possibilities. Further discussions are planned between the University for Industry and the Prison Service.
Education Development Plans
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the education development plans. [64170]
Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 15 December 1998]: Draft education development plans were due to be sent to the Department by 14 December for preliminary consideration. Final plans are to be submitted for approval by 28 February.
Class Sizes
Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made
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of the means by which the additional funding for the reduction of class sizes will be met by local education authorities and diocesan authorities. [63773]
Ms Estelle Morris:
We are making sufficient resources available for the class size pledge to be delivered fully by local education authorities and schools. £560 million is available over the next three years and this will be paid in the form of 100 per cent. grant for capital and revenue funding for all the types of schools covered by local authority implementation plans.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have started on the New Deal scheme in Shrewsbury and Atcham broken down by (a) employer, (b) full-time education/training, (c) voluntary sector, (d) environmental task force and (e) other. [64076]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The latest Government Statistical Service figures for clients in the Shropshire Unit of Delivery, which covers the Shrewsbury and Atcham area, shows that to the end of September 1998, 695 young people had started on New Deal. 196 have left the Gateway of which (a) 24 have gained subsidised jobs through the Employment option (b) 43 have entered Full-Time Education and Training (c) 5 on the Voluntary Sector option (d) 12 on the Environment Task Force and (e) 112 have gone to other destinations including 75 who have gained unsubsidised employment.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if students registered with the University for Industry on courses up to and including Level 3 will count as further education enrolments. [62550]
Mr. Mudie:
The University for Industry will offer access to comprehensive information and to flexible skills-based programmes at all levels. Some learners using UfI materials may be enrolled at further education colleges or other institutions; others could be registered with other providers, or be learning individually in UfI learning centres, or at home. This will depend on the needs of the individual learner.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the additional further education students planned for the year 2002 will be University for Industry enrolments. [62546]
Mr. Mudie:
No such decision has yet been taken. That will reflect student choices.
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much money is being made available in the 12 months from 1 December for lone parents with children of school age receiving income support in Oxfordshire. [63648]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[holding answer 14 December 1998]: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
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Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Shaun Woodward, dated 1998:
Mr. Healey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if the training undertaken by the advisers for the New Deal for Lone Parents is accredited towards a national vocational qualification; [63994]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. John Healey, dated 1998:
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what plans his Department has to raise the standards of care and safety for over-eight year olds in child care provision; [64115]
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(3) what estimate his Department has made of the cost of registering those caring for children over eight years of age. [64118]
Ms Hodge:
The consultation paper on the regulation of early education and day care, issued earlier this year by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Employment, asked whether there should be regulation of day care for children over 8-years-old and, if so, in what form. The Government are considering the responses and will announce their intentions in due course, mindful of the need to ensure children in day care are suitably protected from harm. The cost of any extension to current arrangements will be considered along with all other factors.
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what research his Department has commissioned on parents' views about (a) the quality of child care provision and (b) the system of registration of child carers. [64117]
Ms Hodge:
We have commissioned a baseline survey of parents of children aged up to and including 14 years to establish nationally the demand for child care. This survey will ask parents about the overall quality of child care in the local area. Parents' opinions of the registration of child carers have not been surveyed, although a number of individuals responded to the Government's recent consultation paper on the regulation of early education and day care.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment by what means the National Child Care Strategy will be targeted, with particular reference to the City of Coventry. [63503]
Ms Hodge
[holding answer 14 December 1998]: To date, a total of £470 million has been committed to the National Child Care Strategy in England over five years. Planning and implementation of the Strategy in England is being taken forward at local level by the new Early Years Development and Child Care Partnerships which have been set up in each local authority area.
Key elements of funding are as follows:
In 1998-99, £12 million has been allocated to Partnerships to carry out local child care audits, consult on demand and draw up plans for the delivery of increased provision next year. This has been allocated on the basis of the number of 0-14 year olds in each Partnership area. The City of Coventry allocation for this work is £81,000. Over the same period, some £22.1 million has been made available to fund the Out of School Child Care Initiative (OSCI), of which £378,000 has been allocated to Coventry and Warwickshire through the local Training and Enterprise Council. In addition, Coventry Local Education Authority has received £87,000 this year through Nursery Education Grant.
For 1999-2000, my Department has allocated £44 million to the Partnerships for child care activities, which includes £6.7 million to safeguard existing good quality services in disadvantaged areas, which are at risk of closure. These funds have again been allocated on the basis of the number of 0-14 year olds in each area, adjusted to take account of the levels of deprivation in each area as reflected by the proportion of children receiving free school meals. For 1999-2000, the City of Coventry Partnership has been allocated a total of
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£309,700. Nursery Education Grant will again be available to support additional places for 4 year olds, and we shall be announcing support for 3 year olds shortly. Next year's Revenue Support Grant allocation also includes substantial funds to support additional registration and inspection of child care services and the requirement to set up a local Children's Information Service in each Partnership area. A further £7 million is also being made available to TECs next year for training for child care workers: £776,500 of this has been allocated to the West Midlands, but a breakdown at local level is not yet available.
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how much money is being made available in the 12 months from 1 December for lone parents with children of school age receiving income support in the Oxfordshire area. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
The New Deal for Lone Parents programme is aimed at those lone parents on Income Support whose children are of school age although it is also available to lone parents with younger children. A total of £2.34m for the programme has been allocated to the Employment Service London and South East Region, which includes Oxfordshire, for the period from December 1998 to March 1999. This figure includes all programme and running costs but does not include funding for in-work and lone parent benefits.
Unfortunately, separate figures for individual areas are not available. Funding allocations for 1999-2000 have not yet been agreed.
I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful.
(2) what proportion of the advisers for the New Deal for Lone Parents have been recruited from (a) the Benefits Agency, (b) the Employment Service, (c) the Child Support Agency and (d) other backgrounds. [63995]
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions regarding whether the training undertaken by the advisers for the New Deal for Lone Parents is accredited towards a national vocational qualification and what proportion of the advisers for New Deal for Lone Parents have been recruited from (a) the Benefits Agency, (b) the Employment Service, (c) the Child Support Agency and (d) other backgrounds. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Highly skilled personal advisers are a crucial element in the success of New Deal for Lone Parents. Personal advisers were recruited on the basis that they would receive extensive training to cover all aspects of their job and would work towards an NVQ level 3 in Guidance. A number of the training modules New Deal Lone Parent advisers complete will contribute to their work towards the NVQ level 3 in Guidance.
As of 30 October approximately 88% of Lone Parent advisers have been recruited from the Employment Service, 5% from the Benefits Agency and 7% from the Child Support Agency.
I hope this is helpful.
(2) what plans he has to extend the regulations of child care to those providing care for the over-eights; [64116]
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