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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Mature Students
18. Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of tuition fees on applications for higher education from mature students. [81533]
Mr. Mudie: The latest figures we have from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that the introduction of tuition fees had no negative effect on the total number of mature entrants to higher education in 1998. These figures show that an increasing number of mature students opt to enter higher education via part-time courses.
Higher Education
19. Ms Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to increase access to higher education by young people from inner-city areas. [81534]
Mr. Mudie: We have enabled the funding council to allocate £30 million a year to promote wider participation by people from disadvantaged backgrounds, which will be allocated by postcode. We intend that Excellence in Cities--our action plan for inner city education--will drive up standards and raise pupils' aspirations, giving many more young people the opportunity to go on to higher education.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will next meet the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals to discuss the expansion targets for higher education. [81527]
Mr. Blunkett:
I met with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals on 17 March. The expansion issues for higher education were discussed at that meeting. We have no immediate plans for further meetings.
29 Apr 1999 : Column: 228
20. Mr. Stevenson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps have been taken to increase the ability of popular schools to admit those children who have applied for a place. [81535]
Ms Estelle Morris:
It is for school admission authorities to fix admission limits for their schools. Where parental demand cannot be satisfied it is for the LEA or, in some cases the governing body, to consider whether to bring forward proposals to expand the school. In considering such proposals, the Secretary of State currently and, from 1 September 1999, the School Organisation Committee, will have regard, among other things, to parental preferences.
21. Mr. Lock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of secure cycle storage facilities in schools and its effect on enabling children to cycle to school. [81536]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Survey information suggests that more children would cycle to school if there were better cycle storage facilities. We are considering ways of improving these facilities, and promoting safer routes and road safety training.
22. Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funds in addition to the standard spending assessment allocation have been allocated to schools for 1999-2000. [81537]
Ms Estelle Morris:
£1.7 billion has been allocated to benefit schools for 1999-2000 in addition to the Standard Spending Assessment allocation.
23. Mr. St. Aubyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the planned allocation of resources to central departmental spending for 1999-2000 and subsequent years. [81538]
Mr. Mudie:
Details are set out in the Departmental Report which was published on 24 March 1999 and a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
24. Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to allow universities to charge top-up fees. [81539]
Mr. Mudie:
We have consistently said that top-up fees play no part in the Government's policy on higher education. To that end my right hon. Friend has imposed a condition on grant to the Funding Council to control such fees. Any institution charging top-up fees to students who have been assessed as eligible for fee support could incur financial penalties.
29 Apr 1999 : Column: 229
25. Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that the additional resources allocated for education are spent on schools. [81540]
Ms Estelle Morris:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote in January to each English Local Education Authority to urge them to use all of the cash increase in the education SSA to support education services, especially the drive to raise school standards. We are monitoring the formal budget returns of authorities to see whether they have done this.
26. Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the operation of the new deal in Leicester. [81542]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
In the Leicestershire and Rutland Unit of Delivery the Employment Service are leading the delivery of the New Deal for long term unemployed adults and for lone parents. Fernly Business Services lead the delivery of the New Deal for young people and Pelcombe Training Ltd. is responsible for the pilot launched in November for those aged 25 and over. I am encouraged by some of the innovative approaches being developed and the efforts being made to engage a wide range of local organisations, particularly ethnic minority groups and employers.
27. Mr. Beard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to support part-time students in higher education. [81543]
Mr. Mudie:
From September this year tuition will be free for part-time students on benefits, and from September 2000 loans of at least £500 will be available to part-time students on low incomes. We have already made Access Funds available to part-time students, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England provides a 5 per cent. premium on funding to higher education institutions for each such student.
28. Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps have been taken to support playgroups and pre-schools. [81544]
30. Mr. Peter Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps have been taken to safeguard the voluntary sector's involvement in early years services. [81546]
Ms Hodge:
I refer my hon. Friends to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown), Official Report, column 474.
29. Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress is being made in improving standards in early years education; and if he will make a statement. [81545]
Ms Hodge:
Standards in early education are monitored through inspections by Ofsted. Work is underway on reviewing the desirable learning outcomes; creating a new
29 Apr 1999 : Column: 230
framework of qualifications for those who work with young children; and reviewing the regulation of early education and day care. This will all contribute to further improvements in quality. In addition, Government funding for the training of early years staff has been made available through the Standards Fund and TECS.
31. Ms Stuart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils he estimates will benefit from the new deal for schools. [81547]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Based on information supplied by Local Authorities in the third phase of the New Deal for Schools (NDS) programme, we calculate that 1.6 million pupils will benefit from the £340 million allocated recently for projects beginning in 1999-2000. Information on the number of pupils benefiting from the two previous New Deal for School rounds is not available, but we estimate that a further 1.6 million pupils have benefited from those rounds.
32. Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to improve professional standards in the teaching profession. [81548]
Ms Estelle Morris:
We have already acted to establish new standards for Qualified Teacher Status, and for those completing their initial training after 7 May 1999, we are introducing an induction year. Newly qualified teachers will have to meet new Induction Standards. National training programmes are already on offer based on headship standards.
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