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Channel Islands
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what legislative powers he has advised the authorities in Guernsey that they cannot alter Section 201 of their income tax law; and if he will make a statement on the powers of HM Government in relation to taxes levied in the Channel Islands. [96849]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: There are regular discussions between United Kingdom officials and the authorities in the Crown Dependencies on matters of mutual interest. I understand that the Guernsey authorities do not now propose to amend Section 201 of the Income Tax (Guernsey) Law 1975. All primary legislation passed by the Channel Island legislatures requires the Assent of the Queen in Council.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Class Sizes
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many of the 4,500 extra teachers provided for under the Class Size Initiative had been recruited as at 30 September; of those recruited, how many came from existing jobs in (a) infant classes and (b) junior classes; and how many were newly-qualified teachers; [96833]
- (2) how many teachers were in post in infant classes as at 30 September 1998 and 30 September 1999. [96832]
Ms Estelle Morris:
We have provided funding for 4,500 extra teachers from September 1999 to implement our infant class size pledge. Of this number, 3,000 are additional to the 1,500 we funded from September 1998. LEAs have informed us that they have employed the extra teachers for which they received funding. Full statistical returns of the number of teachers in post are collected each January. We do not hold information on where individual teachers are recruited from, but we are providing Local Education Authorities with the resources to take on additional teachers to enable them to reduce infant classes to 30 or below.
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Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice he has circulated to schools about compliance with the Parental Leave Regulations. [96410]
Ms Estelle Morris:
My right hon. Friend has not circulated any advice to schools. The regulations have not yet been laid before Parliament. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will issue guidance on parental leave.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the evidence published by the Mental Health Foundation about the emotional development of the nation's children. [95217]
Jacqui Smith:
We welcome the Mental Health Foundation's Report "Bright Futures". An official from my Department had observer status on the steering group which guided Bright Future's preparation and will tomorrow attend a seminar the Mental Health Foundation is holding to review its impact.
My officials are working with their Department of Health counterparts to ensure that policy on child and adolescent mental health services takes account of educational considerations. We shall further consider Bright Futures in the context of the forthcoming review of the guidance we issue to schools and local education authorities on the education of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Mr. Coleman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children of asylum seekers are currently not receiving an education because local education authorities have not offered them a school place. [96195]
Jacqui Smith:
Children of asylum seekers are entitled to education in the same way as other children, irrespective of their immigration status or right to residence in a particular location. It is the legal duty of the Local Education Authorities to ensure that education is available for all children of compulsory school age in their area appropriate to age, abilities and aptitudes and any special educational needs they may have. Local Education Authorities receive funding from this Department for the education of children of asylum seekers in the same way as they do for other children.
Mr. Crausby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teachers have retired as a result of ill-health in the three years to 31 March. [96430]
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Ms Estelle Morris:
The number of teachers who have retired as a result of ill health from the maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special sector, England, in financial years 1996-97 to 1998-99 are as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 4,980 |
| 1997-98 | 3,290 |
| 1998-99(4) | 2,220 |
(4) 1998-99 data are provisional
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what his policy is on the inclusion in mainstream schools of children with special educational needs; and if he will make a statement. [96463]
Jacqui Smith: Promoting inclusion within mainstream schools, where parents want it and appropriate support can be provided, is a cornerstone of the Government's special educational needs strategy. The education of children with special needs is a key challenge for the nation, and critical to the creation of a fully inclusive society. There are strong educational, as well as social and moral, grounds for educating pupils with special needs or disabilities with their peers.
Where parents want a mainstream setting for their child our policy is to try to provide it. We are providing, this year, £8 million through the Standards Fund and £20 million through the Schools Access Initiative to promote inclusion. Equally, when parents want a specialist setting for their child it is important that their wishes are respected. Our approach has been practical, not dogmatic. We are advocating inclusion by choice and have underlined that there remains a continuing and vital role for special schools. The key objective must be to safeguard the interests of all children and to ensure that they achieve to their full potential.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each local education authority (a) the number of pupils with moderate learning difficulties and (b) the proportion who were taught in special schools in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [96498]
Jacqui Smith:
Central statistics giving details of the number of pupils by type of special educational need are not collected.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the research by Professor Alan Dyson of Newcastle-upon-Tyne University on the benefits to children with moderate learning difficulties of attending mainstream schools. [96507]
Jacqui Smith:
The report highlighted the wide variations which exist in the access to, and the quality of, provision for pupils with special educational needs. Working together to better meet special educational needs is a key message within the SEN programme of action. Spearheading action under this theme is the expansion of the SEN regional co-ordination projects to cover the whole of England by April 2000. The projects are encouraging local authorities to work with each other, the
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voluntary and private sectors and other partners to better plan and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and to standardise provision.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what additional support he plans to give to (a) mainstream schools and (b) special schools for children with special educational needs. [96478]
Jacqui Smith:
Our Programme of Action on Special Educational Needs, published in November 1998, is an integral part of our strategy for improving all schools. Measures in it will develop the existing statutory framework and procedures, building on experience and best practice. They aim to shift the emphasis from procedures to practical support. It is a measure of the priority we are giving to children with SEN that we have virtually doubled--to £35 million--the targeted support for SEN under the Standards Fund in 1999-2000. We have also increased five-fold the capital support under the Schools Access Initiative, from the £4 million we inherited in 1997-98, to £20 million in 1999-2000. We are planning further big increases to the SEN Standards Fund and the Schools Access Initiative for the following two years. This specific funding for SEN is in addition to the very substantial increases in the overall resources available to schools.
Mr. Hilary Benn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the average funding allocation per child attending (a) junior and (b) secondary schools in each of the last 20 years, in real terms, in Leeds Local Education Authority. [96189]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The table shows the primary and secondary education Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) per pupil in real terms, for Leeds Education Authority, for each of the last ten years, at 1990-2000 prices. The information is not available for the years prior to the introduction of SSAs, which occurred in 1990-91.
| Unit SSA allocations in real terms (£'s per pupil) | Change on previous year (Percentage) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary |
| 1990-91 | 1,916 | 2,793 | - | - |
| 1991-92 | 2,069 | 3,078 | 8.0 | 10.2 |
| 1992-93 | 2,113 | 3,168 | 2.1 | 2.9 |
| 1993-94 | 2,095 | 3,118 | -0.9 | -1.6 |
| 1994-95 | 2,091 | 2,998 | -0.2 | -3.8 |
| 1995-96 | 2,027 | 2,765 | -3.0 | -7.8 |
| 1996-97 | 2,052 | 2,805 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| 1997-98 | 2,093 | 2,817 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| 1998-99 | 2,156 | 2,876 | 3.0 | 2.1 |
| 1999-2000 | 2,227 | 2,922 | 3.3 | 1.6 |
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