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New Deal (Young People)
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if people joining the New Deal for 18 to 25 year olds are compelled to state their educational qualifications. [80561]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Young people joining the New Deal are not compelled to provide information about their educational qualifications. However, this is routinely raised as a standard part of initial personal adviser interviews and there are few instances of the information not being supplied.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish statistics on the (a) employment and (b) benefit position of those who have completed a six month New Deal for 18 to 25-year-old option. [80562]
Mr. Andrew Smith: We publish statistics on various aspects of New Deal performance on a monthly basis. The destination of those who leave an Option is contained in table 11 of the New Deal Statistical First Release, which is held in the Library.
Youth Service
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to issue his consultation paper on the future of the Youth Service; and if he will make a statement. [80264]
Mr. Mudie: We are currently reconsidering the nature and timing of our planned consultation on the future of the youth service in the light of our developing policies on support services for young people more generally. An announcement will be made in due course.
Learning Standards Fund
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out the criteria used to determine allocation to local education authorities from the National Grid for Learning Standards Fund. [80387]
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Mr. Charles Clarke:
Allocations from the National Grid for Learning Standards Fund have been made with reference to the criteria set out in Department for Education and Employment Circular 13/98--The Standards Fund 1999-2000, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Mr. Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the reason for the fall in modern apprenticeship starts over the calendar year 1998; and if he will make a statement. [79916]
Mr. Mudie:
Information from Training and Enterprise Councils about Government-supported training in 1998 is not yet final. I expect the June revision of these figures to bring them closer to the total for 1997 and that the number of MA starts in the 1998-99 operational year will match that in 1997-98.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students from Herefordshire are in receipt of grants for (a) full-time higher or further education and (b) part-time higher or further education; and if he will make a statement. [80262]
Mr. Mudie:
The numbers of higher and further education awards in payment by Herefordshire Local Education Authority during the academic year 1997-98, the latest year for which figures are available, are shown in the table:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Full-time Higher Education awards | 2,541 |
| Part-time Higher Education awards | 98 |
| Further Education awards(38) | 687 |
(34) Includes mandatory awards to personally eligible students attending full-time or sandwich courses leading to a first degree or comparable qualification, DipHE or HND courses and courses of initial teacher training; discretionary awards to students on courses eligible for mandatory awards but who do not fulfil the criteria for personal eligibility made under Section 1(6) of the Education Act 1962; and discretionary awards made under Section 2 of the Education Act 1962. Apart from certain courses of initial teacher training, only courses of full-time study are eligible for mandatory awards.
(35) Discretionary awards made under Section 2 of the Education Act 1962.
(36) Awards made to students normally domiciled in Herefordshire.
(37) Data for 1997-98 are provisional.
(38) Data are not collected separately for full-time and part-time awards.
Examination Papers
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the performance of Edexcel in handling examination papers; and if he will make a statement. [79920]
Mr. Mudie:
Edexcel is a commercial organisation, independent of Government, and responsible for its own procedures for handling examination papers. However, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has
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responsibility for ensuring that qualifications will be accredited only if they meet stringent criteria, and for subsequently monitoring the activities of the awarding bodies.
The new accreditation criteria, which are being introduced this year, set out the necessary standards in the processes and procedures leading to awards and for ensuring high quality, consistency and rigorous standards in assessment and awarding.
At the Government's request, QCA is also implementing a package of reforms to enhance the transparency, independence, speed and accountability of the inquiries on results and appeals system covering GCSE, A level and GNVQ.
The new arrangements will be introduced in time to deal with cases arising from this summer's examinations.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what spending his Department plans to allocate for (a) increased access to information and communication technology in schools, (b) more teaching assistants and (c) more office staff in the next four years. [79906]
Mr. Mudie:
Public expenditure plans have not yet been set beyond 2001-02. Over the next three years, we plan to allocate £555m to local education authorities in England to continue the process of equipping and networking schools to the National Grid for Learning. In addition, schools and their teachers and pupils will benefit from the £400m announced in the Budget as part of the Government's national IT strategy. The £400m will help widen access to ICT by establishing a network of learning centres; introducing a pilot project to supply recycled computers to homes, with families on low incomes having to pay only a very small charge; and providing subsidised loans to teachers for purchasing computers.
We plan to allocate £350m over the next three years to provide an additional 20,000 teaching assistants in schools. We do not have plans for specific allocations for more office staff.
Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to receive the report of the most recent Further Education Funding Council inspection of Wirral Metropolitan College. [80516]
Mr. Mudie:
We expect to receive the Further Education Funding Council's Inspection report on Wirral Metropolitan College later this month.
Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received about the retirement package for the retiring principal of Wirral Metropolitan College. [80214]
Mr. Mudie:
We have not received any representations about the retirement package for the former principal of Wirral Metropolitan College.
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Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidelines his Department issues concerning retirement financial arrangements for principals of tertiary colleges. [80215]
Mr. Mudie:
The Further Education Funding Council has provided guidance concerning such arrangements in its financial memorandum with colleges. This emphasises, among other things, affordability and the need to secure value for money.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the criteria for determining applications for change in status for small rural village schools. [79876]
Ms Estelle Morris:
Criteria for determining applications for significant changes in the character of a school will differ according to the nature of the change. Factors taken into account when deciding whether or not to approve proposals for the closure of rural schools will include the accessibility of alternative schools; the standard of the school that is proposed for closure and the standards of any alternative schools; the overall supply of school places in the area and the likely future demand for places; the overall effect of the closure on the local community; the cost implications of the possible options; any points made by the Local Education Authority or by the school proposed for closure; and the views of parents and other interested parties.
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