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Education Standards
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of education standards since May 1997 for the boroughs of (a) Middlesbrough, (b) Redcar and Cleveland, (c) Hartlepool and (d) Stockton. [74012]
Ms Estelle Morris:
Statistics showing the standards of attainment by pupils in each local authority area are published in annual performance tables. A summary of recent results in the named areas are set out in the following tables. A sample of schools in each authority is inspected annually by OFSTED and reports published which include judgments about standards of attainment and the quality of education. A programme of inspections of all local education authorities is now being carried out by OFSTED, but none of the named authorities has yet been inspected. All authorities have just submitted for approval an Education Development Plan which includes a three-year programme for securing school improvement, and targets including those for pupil performance at ages 11 and 16 which will be monitored in future years.
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| Key Stage 2 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Maths | Science | Aggregate | |||||||||
| 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | |
| Middlesbrough | 58.6 | 55.3 | 52.4 | 51.6 | 56.5 | 47.6 | 65.4 | 65.8 | 59.8 | 175.6 | 177.6 | 159.8 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 61.4 | 60.5 | 52.6 | 56.9 | 62.4 | 51.3 | 68.7 | 72.8 | 62.0 | 187.2 | 195.7 | 165.9 |
| Hartlepool | 60.2 | 60.1 | 48.5 | 56.2 | 62.7 | 48.1 | 67.1 | 69.3 | 52.8 | 183.5 | 192.1 | 149.4 |
| Stockton on Tees | 62.9 | 59.8 | 52.6 | 60.0 | 62.2 | 54.6 | 71.5 | 70.2 | 61.3 | 194.4 | 192.2 | 168.5 |
| England | 64.1 | 62.5 | 56.3 | 57.9 | 61.3 | 53.2 | 68.6 | 68.1 | 61.2 | 190.9 | 191.9 | 170.7 |
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(16) Only those entering two or more GCE A/AS Levels
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Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many responses have been received to his Department's invitation to establish lifelong learning strategic partnerships, indicating how many responses identified a lead partner which was (a) a local authority, (b) a college of further education, (c) a training and enterprise council/chamber of commerce, training and enterprise and (d) none of the above. [74035]
Mr. Mudie:
There has been a great deal of interest from local organisations who wish to become members of strategic Lifelong Learning Partnerships. These include local authorities, colleges of further education and training
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and enterprise councils. Government Offices are currently working with all the organisations who have expressed an interest, to establish boundaries and bring together organisations in strategic partnerships which meet the needs of the localities. Therefore, numbers of partnerships and information about lead organisations are not available at this stage.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the various education business partnerships by local education authority indicating the recent annual spending levels of each. [74026]
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Ms Estelle Morris:
The Department does not collect this information. Education Business Partnerships operate on an independent basis.
Mr. Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many New Deal for Young People trainees were employed by the Employment Service on 31 January. [74218]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[holding answer 2 March 1999]: 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. Damian Green, dated 3 March 1999:
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects the regulations on the preparation and implementation of school organisation plans will be published. [74147]
Ms Estelle Morris
[holding answer 2 March 1999]: The Education (School Organisation Plans) (England) Regulations 1999 will be laid in the second week of March to come into force on 1 April.
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to evaluate the effectiveness of the code of practice on age diversity when it is published. [74975]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The evaluation will look in detail at employer policies and practices in recruitment and employment and the impact this has on age diversity in their workforce. After a competitive tendering exercise, we have commissioned an independent organisation, NOP, to carry out a large scale research project to help evaluate the effectiveness of the Code.
An employer survey will involve telephone interviews with a random sample of companies employing 10 or more people. The sample will provide a good coverage of different industrial sectors, regions and size of employers. There will also be in-depth case studies in order to explore practices and attitudes towards age discrimination in employment in more detail and to discuss the issues with managers and workers at the establishment.
In addition, a random sample of older people will be interviewed on their current situation and their employment experiences and on whether they have experienced any employment discrimination on grounds of age.
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In order to provide a baseline against which to measure change, an initial survey of employers and individuals is being carried out prior to the publication of the Code. Two further surveys will be carried out, towards the end of this year and in late Autumn 2000 to measure the impact of the Code. The evaluation will be completed and findings published early in 2001.
We will also be using the range of key labour market indicators that we set out in Annex E of Action on Age to monitor changes and trends in the labour market activity of older workers. These will be published annually in June.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the future arrangements for the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research at Porton Down. [72627]
Mr. Dobson:
I have decided that the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR) will remain intact under continued Department of Health sponsorship at least until the next Quinquennial Review. CAMR is remaining in the public sector because of its strategic importance.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost of undertaking testing of a medical product preparatory to its assessment by the Medicines Control Agency. [73311]
Ms Jowell:
None. The information needed to calculate this estimate is not available centrally.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the current number of cystic fibrosis sufferers in the United Kingdom and the annual costs of their prescriptions. [73316]
Mr. Hutton:
Statistical Information on the numbers of people with cystic fibrosis is not collected centrally. However, according to the clinical guidelines for cystic fibrosis care published jointly by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the British Paediatric Association and the British Thoracic Society in 1996, there were an estimated 6,250 people with cystic fibrosis in the United Kingdom in 1994.
Information for all prescriptions dispensed to people with cystic fibrosis is not available. Most drugs dispensed to people with cystic fibrosis are not specific to that condition. However, both pancreatin preparations and dornase alfa are specifically indicated for the management of cystic fibrosis. In 1997, the net ingredient cost of these drugs dispensed in the community in England was £5.0 million and £9.0 million respectively. The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug and does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.
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As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me to reply to your question about the number of 18-24 year olds who have been employed by the Employment Service under the New Deal initiative. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
As of 31 January 1999, the Employment Service had 240 New Deal for 18-24 year old employees in post.
I hope this is helpful.
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