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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Kosovo Refugees (School Provision)

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the additional cost to local education authorities of providing an appropriate education for child refugees entering Britain from Kosovo. [83711]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Funding for Local Education Authorities for the education of children of Refugees from Kosovo will be provided by the Department in the same way as that for all children on school roll. When we have more information on the number of refugee children from Kosovo likely to come to the UK; their educational needs; and the geographical areas where they will be located, then we will consider what additional funds, if any, local education authorities may need to provide appropriate support.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions he has held with (a) the Local government Association and (b) particular local authorities with regard to school provision for child refugees entering Britain from Kosovo. [83712]

Mr. Charles Clarke: At a joint Department for Education and Employment and Refugee Council Seminar on 28 April, I made clear the Government's commitment that the children of refugees entering Britain from Kosovo will have access to education in mainstream schools. The Department is in regular contact with the Local Government Association and the local authorities who have received refugees to date, to arrange suitable school provision. Those contacts will be developed when we have more detailed information on the numbers of refugees from Kosovo likely to enter the country, and the geographical areas in which they will be located.

Open Government

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many applications for information he received under the Open Government Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in the last parliamentary Session; and how many of these applications were granted. [83109]

Mr. Mudie: Statistics are not available for the period required. However, for the calendar year January to December 1998, a total of 35 requests for information were received which cited the Code of Practice. This includes 24 requests received by the Employment Service. No Code requests were refused.

Sex Discrimination

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to issue guidance to employers and employees on the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999. [83901]

10 May 1999 : Column: 48

Ms Hodge: The Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999 (No. 1102), which were laid before Parliament on 9 April, came into force on 1 May. The Regulations extend the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to cover protection from discrimination on grounds of gender reassignment in the fields of employment and vocational training.

In order to help individuals and employers understand their rights and responsibilities arising from the new Regulations, I have published the "Guide to the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999". In addition to providing helpful guidance on the effect of the legislation, it also suggests some "good practice" examples for successfully accommodating a transsexual employee in the workforce.

I have placed a copy of the Guide in the Library.

Leicestershire Training and Enterprise Council

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what levels of funding Leicestershire Training and Enterprise Council received in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98 and (c) 1998-99; and what level of balances they carried forward in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) 1997-98. [83179]

Mr. Mudie: The level of DfEE funding to Leicestershire TEC from 1996-97 to 1998-99 was as follows:

Year	£
1996-97	21,637,512
1997-98	20,105,386
1998-99	18,846,814

In addition, DTI funding for Business Link activity amounted to:

Year	£
1996-97	1,370,103
1997-98	1,749,944
1998-99	1,652,087

Balances carried forward were:

			£
As at	Committed Reserves	Uncommitted Reserves	Total Reserves attributable to Secretary of State
1 April 1996	5,090,720	1,103,186	6,193,906
31 March 1997	3,035,955	1,425,890	4,461,845
31 March 1998	2,321,875	--	2,321,875

After-school Clubs

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will make a statement about the music, art and drama content in after-school clubs; [83591]

10 May 1999 : Column: 49

(2) what plans he has to increase the opportunities for children to engage in music, arts and drama by an expansion of after-school clubs. [83592]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Government want all young people to have access to a range of out-of-school hours activities, including music, arts and drama. The Government's vision is set out in "Extending opportunity: a national framework for study support" published last year. £80 million of Standards Fund money will be made available from April 2000 for the development of study support activities throughout England. In addition, £425 million of lottery money is being made available through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) over the next four years to support the expansion of out-of-school hours activities--both education and child care. The policy directions issued by my right hon. Friend the Culture Secretary make clear that music, art and drama activities are included within the framework of activities that NOF can fund.

Reception

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made following the early years development and child care partnership plans for 1999-2000 of the proportion of four-year-old children attending full-time reception classes in schools. [81988]

Ms Hodge: The number of four-year-olds in infant classes ¹ as at January 1998 was 320,897, equivalent to 51 per cent. of the four-year-old population.

¹ Includes reception and other classes (ie non nursery classes).

Training Organisations

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the criteria for approval of a national training organisation with regard to the assessment of qualifications. [83056]

Mr. Mudie: Any National Training Organisation which has an awarding body function, or which operates as a training provider, must demonstrate it has transparent arrangements to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received regarding the decision by Lantra to combine the role of instructor and assessor for their training courses. [83058]

Mr. Mudie: The Department has received a number of representations on this matter from industry practitioners.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority requirement for qualifications to include external quality assurance and its application in the case of National Training Organisations using instructors to assess trainees on their own courses. [83055]

Mr. Mudie: We welcome the QCA's requirement that external quality assurance should be a feature of vocational qualifications accredited by them. Any organisation conducting training to qualifications accredited by the QCA should be subject to quality assurance by an external body sufficiently independent of those providing the training.

10 May 1999 : Column: 50

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the appropriateness of national training organisations using instructors to assess trainees on their own courses. [83057]

Mr. Mudie: The development of vocational skills often sensibly involves assessment, by qualified trainers, of trainees' performance in realistic working conditions, but such assessments should be subject to external verification.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will ensure that qualifications which are required by law and are his Department's responsibility should be awarded by external assessment. [83059]

Mr. Mudie: In the Department's designation of qualifications under Schedule 2(a) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, and in the Qualification and Curriculum Authority's accreditation of qualifications, awards are required to be verified by a body separate from that conducting the training.

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