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Further Education Colleges (Agency Staff)

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent guidance he has issued to further education colleges on the use of agency staff; and what plans he has to evaluate the impact of the use of agency staff on (a) the quality, reliability and professional development of staff and (b) on student retention and achievement. [104848]

Mr. Wicks: My right hon. Friend has no plans to evaluate the use of agency staff in the further education sector. Further education colleges are independent and consequently the teaching, internal organisation and management are the responsibility of the college management.

Medical Students

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many applicants for medical schools, in each of the last three years for which figures are available, were (a) accepted and (b) rejected; how many qualified; and how many took up positions in NHS hospitals. [104577]

Mr. Wicks: The available data for applicants in the three most recent years are given in the table. Not all those applicants who failed to obtain a place will necessarily have been rejected; some may have declined their offers, withdrawn from the scheme or opted for a year out.

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Students applying for undergraduate medical courses in the UK via UCAS

Year of entry	Number of applicants	Number of applicants who were accepted
1997	12,025	4,894
1998	12,078	5,029
1999	11,807	5,119

Information showing the number of students who completed first degrees in medicine is given in the table. Data on the number of students taking up employment in NHS hospitals are not held centrally.

Students obtaining first degrees in medicine in the UK

Year	Number
1995-96	4,888
1996-97	5,072
1997-98	5,137

Employment Statistics

Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) men and (b) women in each of the standard age groups were employed (i) in his predecessor Departments in 1979 and (ii) in his Department in 1999. [104016]

Mr. Wills: The number of men and women employed by the Department in each of the standard age groups is:

Age band	Male	Female	Total
60+	43	20	63
55-59	105	113	218
50-54	279	233	512
45-49	367	313	680
40-44	344	362	706
35-39	305	459	764
30-34	282	464	746
25-29	178	273	451
20-24	80	102	182
Under 20	6	16	22
Total	1989	2,355	4,344

There are no corresponding data available for 1979.

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New Deal (Greater London)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that have been created in the Greater London area as a result of the New Deal. [104794]

Ms Jowell: New Deal is not a job creation scheme; rather it is designed to help unemployed people improve their skills and compete effectively for vacancies. The latest figures to the end of October 1999 show that this policy is working; over 21,000 young people, and 5,800 long term unemployed people aged 25 and over, have gained jobs through the New Deal in the Greater London area.

SATs

Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children achieved one, two or three level 5s in last year's SATs; and how many achieved level 6 in each subject. [105561]

Mr. Wicks: The information requested is given in the following table. The answers were derived from a provisional matching of the 1999 National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stages 2 and 3.

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Percentage

	Key Stage 2	Key Stage 3
Percentage of pupils who achieved at least Level 5 in all three of 1999 Key Stage tests:
English, mathematics and science	11	43
Percentage of pupils who achieved at least Level 5 in only two of the three 1999 Key Stage tests:
English and mathematics	3	7
English and science	3	3
Mathematics and science	5	5
Percentage of pupils who achieved at least Level 5 in only one of the three 1999 Key Stage tests:
English	4	8
Mathematics	4	4
Science	7	2
The percentage of pupils who achieved at least Level 6 in 1999 Key Stage tests:
English	(1)--	28
Mathematics	(1)--	38
Science	(1)--	24

(1) Indicates a figure below 0.5 per cent.

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CABINET OFFICE

Investors in People

Ms Rosie Winterton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress the Civil Service has made towards the target that all civil servants will be working in organisations recognised as Investors in People by the year 2000. [106129]

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Mr. Stringer: Some 88 per cent. of Civil Servants now work in organisations recognised as Investors in People. This is a significant achievement by all concerned and Departments and Agencies should be congratulated on their progress. The Investors in People Standard is an important element of the Civil Service reform agenda and this achievement demonstrates the commitment of the Service. I would refer hon. Members to the report

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"Investors in People in Government Departments and Agencies" which I have placed in the Libraries of the House.

Competitive Tendering

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what is the number and value of contracts let by her Department since May 1997 to external consultants and advisers for the management of competitive tendering processes. [103607]

Mr. Stringer: Since May 1997, my Department has let 15 contracts with external consultants and advisers for the management of competitive tendering processes. The total value of those contracts is £601,694.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Clerks

Mr. Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many House of Commons Clerks have been appointed in the last five years, indicating the number and percentage broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnic origin. [104532]

Mr. Kirkwood [holding answer 13 January 2000]: Since the beginning of 1995, there have been 17 external recruits to the grade of Assistant Clerk and Senior Clerk, including faststream entrants, in the Department of the Clerk of the House. The table sets out the breakdown.

Year	Number of Assistant and Senior Clerks recruited	Male	Female
1995	2	0	2
1996	3	2	1
1997	4	2	2
1998	6	4	2
1999	2	1	1
Total	17	(2)9	(3)8

(2) 53 per cent.

(3) 47 per cent.

Approximately 80 per cent. of these recruits have declared their ethnic origin. All of those who did so are white.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Royal Ulster Constabulary

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason the figures for compensation paid by the Police Authority indicated at the foot of claims against the Chief Constable were omitted from this year's Annual report; and if he will instruct the Police Authority to provide this information to all recipients of their annual report. [103822]

Mr. Ingram: A graph showing the amounts of compensation paid during 1998-99 was mistakenly omitted from the 1998-99 Police Authority Annual Report and not detected at final proof reading. This

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information will be provided to anyone requesting it and will be displayed on the Police Authority website at http://www.pani.org.uk.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the (a) cost of compensation and (b) legal costs incurred as a result of claims against the Chief Constable, including the costs of the Crown Solicitor's Office, in each year from 1985 to date. [103823]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested is not readily available prior to April 1997. The following table shows the compensation paid and the costs incurred from April 1997 to March 1999. Figures for the current financial year are not yet available.

£

	April 1997 to March 1998	April 1998 to March 1999
Damages paid	720,297	1,046,115
Plaintiffs Solicitors costs	529,829	619,885
Crown Solicitors costs	840,362	735,637
Crown Solicitors outlay	560,975	408,159

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