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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 19 January 2000
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Further and Higher Education
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures he is taking to improve the pay and conditions of teaching staff in (a) colleges of further education and (b) universities. [105143]
Mr. Wicks: The pay and conditions of staff in further education colleges and higher education institutions are matters for employers and staff. The Government are investing heavily in both sectors and announced in November 1999 increases of £365 million for further education and £295 million for higher education for 2001-02.
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will appoint an ombudsman for further and higher education. [105480]
Mr. Wicks: My right hon. Friend has no plans to establish an Ombudsman for further and higher education.
School Standards
Mr. White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how standards are being raised in areas not in education action zones. [105601]
Ms Estelle Morris: The Government are committed to creating a world-class education service. We have made it clear that raising standards is our top priority and are taking practical steps to help schools, teachers and Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to improve. To back up this pledge, the Government have provided an additional £19 billion for education over the three years 1999-2000 to 2001-02.
New initiatives are being put in place to raise standards in schools and LEAs all across the country. The literacy and numeracy strategies and their stretching targets for 2002 are at the forefront of the nationwide drive to improve standards. Other initiatives include Sure Start for early years, Education Development Plans (EDPs) for LEAs, Excellence in Cities, and the expansion of the number of Specialist and Beacon schools. Both Schools and LEAs are also subject to regular inspections by OFSTED. Success is now being rewarded and failure tackled. We also recognise that teachers are of central importance in the drive to raise standards. We have committed up to a billion pounds over the next two years in modernisation measures aimed at increasing teacher professionalism and morale.
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Standards are beginning to rise. In 1997, 57 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved the standard for their age in English and 54 per cent. the standard for maths. In 1999, this rose to 70 per cent. in English and 69 per cent. in maths. We are well on track to meet the 2002 targets of 80 per cent. in English and 75 per cent. in maths.
Mr. White:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 11 January 2000, Official Report, column 148W, on local education authority administration costs, if he will update his reply for the financial year 1998-99. [105671]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The information requested is not yet available. I will write to my hon. Friend when I am able to reply, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Crausby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to reduce smoking in his Department. [105804]
Mr. Wills:
The Department for Education and Employment has smoking policies in place which provide a non-smoking working environment. Smoking is restricted to specially designated areas, such as smoking rooms. Literature on giving up smoking is available in our training centres, and DfEE HQ sites have in the past offered further support for staff wishing to give up smoking through a number of health promotion events.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many school governor vacancies there are in each local education authority area; and if he will make a statement. [105530]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The Department does not routinely collect information about school governor vacancies, but is aware from recent and current research that the level of vacancies is higher than desirable.
School governors have a valuable part to play in raising standards in our schools. The new framework for schools has increased the number of governors to approximately 360,000 (compared with 300,000) previously. Finding governors is a local matter, for schools, local education authorities and other appointing bodies. The Department recognises the need to recruit more school governors and is active in supporting local efforts. In particular, the School Governors' One Stop Shop, supported by the Department, is now recruiting governors with business and management skills in the inner city areas covered by the Government's Excellence in Cities initiative. In addition, the Department has produced general recruitment materials, developed with local education authority (LEA) advice, as well as a leaflet produced jointly with the National Governors Council (NGC) which encourages people from ethnic minorities to become governors. The Department is also following up recommendations of the Education and Employment Committee report on the role of school governors,
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including guidance to encourage LEAs to fill their governor vacancies according to the contribution people can make rather than their political affiliation and to collect information about governor vacancies and make it available.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will give the destination of those who have left the New Deal for 18-24 year olds (a) at the time at which they left the New Deal, (b) 13 weeks after leaving the New Deal and (c) 26 weeks after leaving the New Deal, for each parliamentary constituency in the (i) City of Liverpool and (ii) Wirral. [104615]
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Ms Jowell
[holding answer 17 January 2000]: The following table summarises the immediate destinations of young people who leave the New Deal in each of the constituencies named. In addition to those recorded as leaving for unsubsidised employment, we know that many of those recorded as leaving for unknown destinations will have found work without notifying the Employment Service. A recent survey found that of those leaving for unknown destinations from the Gateway stage of New Deal, 57 per cent. entered paid employment.
We do not hold information on the destinations of young people 13 and 26 weeks after leaving New Deal. Our figures for sustained jobs cover those who leave for a job and do not return to claim JSA within 13 weeks.
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| Sustained unsubsidised jobs | Other benefits | Other known destination | Unknown destination | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Garston | 254 | 92 | 97 | 141 |
| Liverpool Riverside | 429 | 232 | 258 | 410 |
| Liverpool Walton | 430 | 166 | 173 | 330 |
| Liverpool Wavertree | 343 | 119 | 226 | 277 |
| Liverpool West Derby | 400 | 147 | 182 | 279 |
| Southport | 168 | 22 | 40 | 70 |
| Crosby | 165 | 32 | 67 | 80 |
| Bootle | 424 | 142 | 142 | 224 |
| Knowsley North and Sefton East | 386 | 171 | 135 | 236 |
| St. Helens North | 228 | 81 | 93 | 120 |
| St. Helens South | 278 | 118 | 89 | 150 |
| Knowsley South | 418 | 183 | 170 | 264 |
| Birkenhead | 457 | 157 | 261 | 324 |
| Wallasey | 328 | 120 | 196 | 203 |
| Wirral South | 194 | 35 | 57 | 143 |
| Wirral West | 223 | 31 | 99 | 127 |
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LEA Administrative Costs
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 11 January 2000 to the hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane), Official Report, columns 148-52W, concerning local education authority administrative costs, if he will publish on a cost per pupil basis the expenditure on administration for each local education authority listed. [105300]
Ms Estelle Morris: The following table gives for each local education authority in England information on administration expenditure, encompassing central management and administration, and service, strategy and regulation costs, in the form of costs per pupil for the financial year 1997-98.
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