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Redundancies (K Shoes)
Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assistance his Department will make available to those made redundant by K Shoes in Kendal in the first quarter of 1999. [67013]
Mr. Mudie: Officials from the Employment Service will be visiting the factory every week to answer questions and offer Jobsearch advice. Additionally, the local Jobcentre are arranging to display job vacancies within the factory.
The redundancy has been declared as 'Large Scale' which means that employees who are being made redundant will have preferential access onto Employment Service and Enterprise Cumbria's (formerly the TEC) programmes.
Enterprise Cumbria in conjunction with Cumbria Careers are working closely with the company and have offered them a comprehensive package of assistance, including careers counselling and a resident training Adviser.
25 Jan 1999 : Column: 86
Mr. David Marshall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to increase the budget of the Glasgow Employment Zone; and if he will make a statement. [67642]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The Employment Service is negotiating with Glasgow Employment Zone to determine the funds required for the Zone's delivery plan proposals for 1999-2000.
Mr. David Marshall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the total budget for the Glasgow Employment Zone; how much funding is received from the European social fund; and if he will make a statement. [67641]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The ES contribution to the Glasgow Employment Zone is based on the number of long-term unemployed people participants it attracts. The 1998-99 contract was re-negotiated in November and is currently valued at £801,012 for 900 participants. The Zone was awarded £391,000 from the European Social Fund towards its 1998 costs. Overall expenditure in 1998 is likely to be less than anticipated; this will correspondingly reduce the amount of European Social Fund grant.
Mr. Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is on the agenda for the Council meeting of Ministers for Labour and Social Affairs from 4 to 6 February; and which Minister will be attending. [67411]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The informal meeting of EU Labour Minister will focus on two topics. The first will be the German presidency plans in employment and social affairs. The second will be the partnership between economic and monetary union and employment.
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry, my hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney), and I expect to attend the meeting.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 18 January 1999, Official Report, column 352, if he will break down the money so far received by the 25 education action zones, into the sums paid in (a) cash and (b) kind for each education action zone. [67635]
Ms Estelle Morris:
A detailed breakdown will be provided in the audited financial statements which each zone is required to provide by the end of the year.
25 Jan 1999 : Column: 87
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 11 January 1999, Official Report, column 97, if he will list the assessments of associated costs for each of proposed functions of the Disability Rights Commission. [67621]
Ms Hodge:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 18 January 1999, Official Report, column 352.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the participation rate of three-year-olds in early education in Portsmouth. [67226]
Ms Hodge:
The information is not available in the form requested. There were 459 three year olds in maintained nursery and primary schools in the Portsmouth Local Education Authority area in January 1998. In addition, the Government are supporting a significant national expansion of free places for three year olds in the maintained, voluntary and private sectors from 1999-2000.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the number of supply teachers employed within each local education authority at the latest date for which information is available. [65909]
(14) Occasional teachers are employed on a day to day or short term contract (less than one month) in response to a specific vacancy or short term absence. Figures relate to teachers employed for the whole of the third Thursday in January of each year.
Notes:
1. The data are for maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special schools, Pupil Referral Units and education otherwise than in schools.
2. By way of comparison, in 1997, there were 13,611 such teachers employed by LEAs.
25 Jan 1999 : Column: 89
Education Maintenance Allowance
Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he proposes to make an announcement on the pilot areas for the education maintenance allowance. [66231]
Mr. Mudie: We expect to announce the Education Maintenance Allowance Pilot areas within the next month.
Nannies
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what factors underlay the decision to change the rules governing the regulation of nanny agencies; [66931]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the Better Regulation Task Force's report into the regulation of nannies. [66933]
25 Jan 1999 : Column: 90
Ms Hodge: More than 650 responses to the consultation paper on the regulation of early education and day care were considered in developing the proposals relating to nannies, including those advocating a national register. The Government concluded, like the Better Regulation Task Force, that a register would be bureaucratic and unworkable and would raise false expectations among parents. Rather, the Government propose to work with the industry to establish new, higher standards for nanny agencies which are clear to parents, supported by guidance to all parents on employing child carers in the home.
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