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Single Gateway
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of those entering the New Deal Gateway in January 1998 were still in the Gateway on 31 December 1998. [75666]
Mr. Andrew Smith [holding answer 9 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. Graham Brady, dated 11 March 1999:
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 percentage of young people who joined the New Deal Gateway in January 1998 who were still in the Gateway on 31st December 1998. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Of those young people who entered the New Deal Gateway in January 1998, 3% were recorded as still being in the Gateway at the end of December 1998. In some cases this will be because they have had a number of periods of sickness, or have left the Gateway for other reasons, but on each occasion returned within 13 weeks of leaving.
I hope this is helpful.
Early Years Education
Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice has been issued to local education authorities on involving (a) parents and (b) governors in the development of early years education. [75564]
Ms Hodge [holding answer 9 March 1999]: The planning guidance on Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships for 1999-2000 asks Partnerships to ensure that the interests of parents, including those parents in employment, and of maintained schools, including nursery schools, are properly represented in drawing up the Early Years Development and Childcare Plan.
Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which local education authorities have submitted their draft Early Years Development Plans to his Department for approval; and how many have been approved. [75563]
Ms Hodge [holding answer 9 March 1999]: All local education authorities have submitted Early Years Development and Childcare Plans for approval. I shall shortly announce which have been approved.
Local Decision Making
Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice has been issued to local education authorities on involving (a) parents and (b) governors in decision making on local education services, and giving them representation on (i) local education authority education committees and (ii) children's panels. [75565]
Ms Estelle Morris
[holding answer 9 March 1999]: We are keen to encourage parents and governors to become involved in decision making on education
11 Mar 1999 : Column: 321
services. The Department has not issued general guidance to local education authorities on how to achieve this, although guidance to authorities on specific functions has included appropriate advice, for example the guidance on Education Development Plans issued in September 1998. The Department is due to consult on draft regulations on parent governor representatives on local authority committees dealing with education in the next few weeks, and to issue the final regulations and guidance in the summer. I believe that the reference to children's panels relates to Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships which are covered in a reply given today by the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Ms Hodge), at column 320.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to announce the outcome of bids for funding under the New Deal: Innovative Projects programme. [75748]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[holding answer 9 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. Robin Corbett, dated 11 March 1999:
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if (a) he, (b) civil servants in his Department or (c) special advisers in his Department have (i) had sight of drafts of select committee reports, in whole or in part, or (ii) been informed of conclusions of select committee reports prior to their publication by the select committees. [75871]
Mr. Mudie
[holding answer 10 March 1999]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire) on 1 March 1999, Official Report, column 531. There have been no instances of members of select committees giving me, or my ministerial colleagues, drafts of select committee reports, or of parts of reports including their conclusions, before publication. Nor to the best of my knowledge there have been any occasions on which members of select committees have given such material to civil servants or special advisers in the Department. this excludes embargoed copies of reports issued under House of Commons Standing Orders.
11 Mar 1999 : Column: 322
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 1999, Official Report, columns 951-52, concerning Rainsford School, when he expects (a) the further consultations to end with Essex Local Education Authority and local schools and (b) a decision to be taken on the case for admitting a pupil whose name has been sent to him. [76107]
Ms Estelle Morris:
We have asked Essex Local Education Authority to provide details of this pupil and their handling of the direction process, along with information about alternative local schools, by Monday 15 March. Their response will determine whether we need to write to any other schools. Only once all local consultation is fully completed will it be possible for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to make a decision.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the Quinquennial Review report on the Higher Education Funding Council for England. [76734]
Mr. Blunkett:
I am publishing the report today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much additional money would have been available to (a) the Arts Council, (b) the Sports Council, (c) the Millennium Commission and (d) the Heritage Lottery Fund in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 1998-99 if the Government had not introduced the New Opportunities Fund. [72175]
Mr. Chris Smith:
In line with the overall income forecast of £10.6 billion, we expect the arts, sport, heritage and charities (with £1.85 billion each) and the Millennium Commission (£2.017 billion) to receive more in the current licence period than was originally forecast.
Any retrospective reallocation of the sums announced for the New Opportunities Fund (£1 billion) and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (£200 million) is entirely hypothetical.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the role of professional lobbyists in formulating policy in his Department. [74359]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 4 March 1999]: Any contacts with lobbyists by Ministers and civil servants in this Department are conducted in accordance with the "Ministerial Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contact with Lobbyists".
11 Mar 1999 : Column: 323
Mr. Peter Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the cost of (a) developing and (b) introducing the new departmental logo. [75184]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 5 March 1999]: (a) The budget for developing the departmental visual identity was £26,000. We are still awaiting final invoices, but expect the final outturn to be close to budget.
(b) Introducing the new visual identity incurred no further costs, and has already resulted in savings of over 25 per cent. on the procurement of the Department's printed stationery. This will be a continuing saving and further efficiency improvements are also expected.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what criteria the new departmental logo was chosen. [75296]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: The logo, and the new visual identity of which it is a part, had to serve the overall purposes of the exercise. These were to improve the consistency and distinctiveness of DCMS communications. Further criteria were cost-effectiveness and acceptability to DCMS staff.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in what colours the new departmental logo will be available; and what the criteria are for deciding how the different colour logos are to be used by his Department. [75298]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: The new visual identity uses a palette of 15 colours which will be used on the Department's publications and printed stationery. The Pantone Matching System references for these colours are:
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the contract for the design for his new departmental logo was put out to tender. [75297]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: Yes. (The contract, however, included much more than designing a new departmental logo.)
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many design options for his Department's new logo were put forward for consideration; and to whom. [75295]
11 Mar 1999 : Column: 324
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: The initial phase of the communications consultancy involved extensive discussions with DCMS staff and with a variety of "partner bodies". The design company then put forward three options for a new visual identity to Ministers and staff.
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 when the outcome of bids for funding under the New Deal Innovation Fund will be announced. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
It may be helpful if I explain that New Deal Partnerships will have two opportunities a year to bid for funding from the Innovation Fund. Guidance will be issued to all partnerships in early April, alongside a timetable for bids to be received for assessment. We hope that the successful bids from the first round of assessments will be announced in July or August of this year.
I hope this is helpful.
3272
286
5483
032
5125
279
104
382
451
124
239
626
2735
633
130.
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