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FE Lecturers (Pay and Conditions)
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent representations he has received from the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education concerning pay and conditions for further education lecturers; and what reply he has sent. [88236]
Mr. Mudie: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met recently with representatives of NATFHE to discuss issues they wished to raise about pay and conditions for further education lecturers. We have received a number of letters from hon. Members enclosing copies of a letter which NATFHE members had been encouraged to send. We have replied to those representations, noting that we are providing very substantial extra funds for further education--£725 million over the next two years. Colleges are responsible for the pay and conditions of their staff. Nevertheless, we take every opportunity to encourage unions and employers to work together to determine a sensible way forward under the improved circumstances we have created.
FE Teaching Staff
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent representations he has received regarding the pay and conditions of teaching staff in the further education sector; and if he will make a statement. [88063]
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Mr. Mudie:
Ministers have recently met representatives of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, the Sixth Form Colleges Employers Forum, the National Joint Council for Sixth Form Colleges and the Association of Colleges and have discussed issues about the pay and conditions of further education lecturers. We have received a number of letters from hon. Members, enclosing copies of a letter which NATFHE members had been encouraged to send. We have replied to those representations, noting that we are providing very substantial extra funds for further education--£725 million over the next two years. Colleges are responsible for the pay and conditions of their staff. Nevertheless, we take every opportunity to encourage unions and employers to work together to determine a sensible way forward under the improved circumstances we have created.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to publish a White Paper on the future of further education colleges and TECs; and if he will make a statement. [88005]
Mr. Mudie:
We will be announcing our proposals for post-16 education and training shortly and will make a statement at that time.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have held meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 January 1998 indicating the dates and locations, the Ministers involved and the names of the Irish Ministers and officials in each case. [87427]
Mr. Mudie:
There have been two meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 January 1998.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met Michael Martin, the Irish Minister for Education and Science, at a bilateral on education issues in Dublin in October 1998. On the same day he also met Mary Harney, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to discuss employment issues. Three DfEE officials accompanied the Secretary of State.
In addition my hon. Friend the Minister for School Standards spoke at an Anglo-Irish International Conference on Information and Communication Technology in Dublin in May 1999. Tom Kit, the Irish Minister for Labour and Trade Consumer Affairs, also spoke at the conference.
Ministers have also met their counterparts at meetings on European Union business.
Charlotte Atkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funding is made available to schools to fund year 6 booster classes. [87678]
Ms Estelle Morris:
Currently, £18 million has been made available for schools to run additional literacy and numeracy classes. We will make an announcement shortly about funding for 1999-2000 and beyond.
28 Jun 1999 : Column: 55
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 25 May 1999, Official Report, columns 99-100, on post-16 education, when he plans to announce his proposals for post-16 education. [87866]
Mr. Mudie:
We plan to announce our proposals for post-16 education and training shortly.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what public funding is available towards the costs of training drivers of mobile cranes with particular reference to requirements to meet LGV licence conditions; and if he will make a statement. [87900]
Mr. Mudie:
Training courses for drivers of mobile cranes are included in Schedule 2(a) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and are therefore eligible for funding from the Further Education Funding Council.
Sir Peter Emery:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps his Department will take to resolve the outstanding issues concerning Devon County Council's funding for the Devon Youth Music Service. [88009]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The Government provided, through the Music Standards Fund, funding to Devon Local Education Authority for centrally provided music services. Subsequent arrangements between the LEA and Devon Youth Music are not a matter for the Department
28 Jun 1999 : Column: 56
for Education and Employment. None the less, officials have been in contact with both the County Council and Devon Youth Music to offer advice.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to transfer responsibility for payments and financial management of European social funds to the National Assembly for Wales as part of the regionalisation programme for the European Social Fund; and if he will make a statement. [87995]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Wales wrote to me on 23 February 1999 accepting in principle responsibility for these payments and the financial management of the Welsh European Social Fund Programmes from the start of the new period in January 2000.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the education initiatives launched since May 1997 under which specific grants are allocated (a) through the Standards Fund and (b) by other means, stating in each case and for each financial year the funding provided by central Government. [88170]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The following table lists the education initiatives launched since May 1997 for which funding is allocated to schools and local education authorities through the Standards Fund and other specific grants showing for each initiative the amount of funding provided by the Government in each financial year. The figures for the Standards Fund do not include Local Education Authorities' contributions. For 1999-2000, the 5.7 per cent. increase in Education Standard Spending Assessment included provision for Authorities' contributions to the Standards Fund.
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(35) Part of School Improvement Grant
Notes:
1. Grant for the Education of Traveller and Displaced Persons was in existence prior to May 1997 but became a Standards Fund grant in 1999-2000.
2. Ethnic Minority Pupil Achievement replaced the schools' education element of the Home Office Section 11 grant.
3. Both grants for the reduction of class sizes will be paid through the Standards Fund mechanism in 1999-2000 but are covered by their own Regulations.
4. The Books for Schools grant includes provision for grant maintained schools paid via the Funding Agency for Schools.
5. In 1998-99 a large proportion of nursery education funding was channelled through the Revenue Support Grant.
28 Jun 1999 : Column: 57
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