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Class Sizes

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress has been made towards reducing class sizes for five, six and seven year olds. [85521]

Ms Estelle Morris: The number of pupils aged 5, 6 and 7 in classes over 30 have fallen by almost 130,000, from 485,000 in January 1998 to 356,000 in January 1999. In March, £150 million of allocations were announced for 1999-2000, enabling over 4,000 extra teachers to be employed from September and over 1,000 additional classrooms to be built. As a result, fewer than 200,000 pupils will be in large infant classes from September 1999. The implementation of the class size pledge will mean that there will be a net gain of 12,000 places at popular schools, significantly enhancing parental preference.

8 Jun 1999 : Column: 313

Education Council

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the latest agenda of the Education Council of 7 June. [85634]

Mr. Mudie: The draft provisional agenda for the Education Council is as follows:



















Grant-maintained Schools

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will make it his policy to implement transitional arrangements to assist former grant-maintained high schools adjust their budgets under the Fair Funding regulations; [85969]

Ms Estelle Morris: As a transitional measure, each grant-maintained school has been guaranteed a minimum level of delegated funding for the financial year 1999-2000, based on the amount per pupil which the school received in 1998-99 by way of Annual Maintenance Grant. Funding arrangements for the year 2000-2001 will be announced in due course and will take account of this year's experience.

New Deal (Leeds)

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many jobs under a long-term contract of employment have been secured by 16 to 18-year-olds who have completed the New Deal since its introduction in the Leeds, Central constituency; what was the cost of each job; and what percentage of those who entered the New Deal in Leeds, Central have failed to complete it and for what reasons. [85705]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The New Deal does not apply to young people under 18 years of age. All 16 to 18-year-olds have access to other education, training and employment programmes.

8 Jun 1999 : Column: 314

EU Social Affairs Council

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the outcome of the Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 25 May 1999; and if he will make a statement. [86038]

Mr. Andrew Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, myself and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Industry, attended this meeting of the Council.

The Council discussed the Employee Participation Directive element of the European Company Statute package; political agreement was blocked by Spain, which could not agree a key element of the proposal which requires unanimity.

The council reached political agreement on three proposals concerning Working Time (excluded sectors)--the draft horizontal amending Directive, a draft Maritime Working Time Directive and draft Enforcement Directive extending the working time provisions to seafarers. On the horizontal amending Directive, the UK was able to accept a Presidency compromise on junior doctors which would provide a transitional period of thirteen years before the 48-hour limit would apply. The UK maintained its Parliamentary scrutiny reserve on the horizontal amending Directive and lifted the scrutiny reserves on the Maritime Directives. Supplementary Explanatory Memoranda on the horizontal amending Directive and the Maritime Directives will be provided to both Houses as soon as possible.

The Council heard a progress report from the Presidency on an amended proposal for a Council Directive on Physical Agents and information concerning the draft Directive on Explosive Atmospheres.

The Council considered the Presidency's proposal for a European Employment Pact. The Presidency tabled other documents in connection with the Pact: a Presidency Report; a draft Youth Memorandum (noted by Council); a draft Resolution on equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities (political agreement reached); and a draft Directive on Fixed Term Contracts, based on agreement between the European social partners (Council took note of progress). The Presidency circulated the text of a draft Resolution on the Pact for consideration at the Cologne European Council on 3-4 June.

The Social Affairs Council was followed by a joint session of Social Affairs and Economic and Finance Ministers: this was attended by the Secretary of State, me and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The joint Council discussed the proposal for a European Employment Pact.

Environment Task Force

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how his Department is evaluating the (a) environmental and (b) educational benefits of the New Deal Environment Task Force projects. [86073]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions will shortly be appointing consultants to evaluate the environmental impact of the projects carried out by the New Deal Environment Task Force Option since January 1998.

8 Jun 1999 : Column: 315

Further evaluation is currently being carried out by the Employment Service, which will provide details of the skills and qualifications gained by participants on this option. Results of this evaluation will be published later this year.

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many young people are currently mandated on to the Environment Task Force having already unsuccessfully tried other New Deal options. [86076]

Mr. Andrew Smith: This information is not collected in the form requested. I shall write to my hon. Friend when some information on this issue is available from the quantitative evaluation of New Deal due to report later in the year and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many young people are currently on the Environment Task Force option of New Deal. [86099]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The latest Government Statistical Service figures to the end of March 1999 showed that 6,950 young people were on the Environment Task Force option.

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what range of skills training and qualifications are available in the placements on the New Deal Environment Task Force projects. [86074]

Mr. Andrew Smith: In addition to the practical skills and work experience it provides, young people on the New Deal Environment Task Force Option are able to study towards a qualification listed in Schedule 2 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 or by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, normally up to S/NVQ level two or equivalent. Young people may choose to study qualifications which are directly related to the Option, such as Rural Studies and Environmental Management or Environmental Management Skills, or choose to train for skills and qualifications which have a wider application in the labour market, such as Customer Service or Information Technology.

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many different placement projects there are currently within the New Deal Environment Task Force. [86075]

Mr. Andrew Smith: This information is not currently available. I shall write to my hon. Friend when the current exercise to collect it is finished and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

School Budgets

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will list for each local education authority in England the total amount of funding transferred to individual school budgets in 1999-2000 as a result of his fair funding initiative; [85947]

8 Jun 1999 : Column: 316

Ms Estelle Morris: Information for the financial year 1999-2000 is still being collected and checked by the Department. We will publish authoritative data showing the plans of the authorities, including the amounts to be held back centrally, later this month. I will write to the hon. Member when the figures she requests are available, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library.

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