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Rural Areas
19. Dr. George Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to address pockets of low expectations and low skills in rural constituencies. [103694]
Mr. Wicks: We are committed to addressing low expectations and low skills wherever they are found. That is why we are setting targets at school and LEA level and creating a new system of post-16 learning that is responsive to local needs.
Labour Market
20. Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps his Department is taking to broaden participation in the labour market. [103695]
Ms Jowell:
The Government's Welfare to Work programme is the biggest ever initiative to help more people participate in the labour market and get back into work.
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21. Mr. Connarty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps are being taken to promote the code of practice on age discrimination in the workplace. [103696]
Ms Hodge:
The Code has been well received, with over 40,000 copies being issued since its launch in June. Copies of the Code of Practice were sent to Chambers of Commerce; Training and Enterprise Councils; Local Authorities; National Training Organisations; Trade Associations and 5000 businesses. Advertisements about the Code have appeared in Citizens Advice Bureaux; Jobcentres; local libraries and in a calendar sent to 120,000 small firms. Advertisements have also appeared in a range of publications aimed at management and personnel professionals.
I will be making an announcement next month on further plans for promoting its key messages.
22. Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to propose legislation to guarantee legal rights of access for the disabled to education and training. [103697]
Ms Hodge:
We announced our intention on 13 December to bring forward legislation to give people with disabilities equal access to schools and further, higher and adult education. The provision of training is generally already covered by Part ll of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) where it concerns employees, or Part III of the DDA where it constitutes a service to the public, depending on the particular circumstances of the disabled person and the provider.
23. Mr. Best:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment his Department has made of the role of mobility within city boundaries in matching jobseekers to vacancies. [103699]
Ms Jowell:
My Department recognises that increasing the mobility of jobseekers is critically important in helping people to find jobs, and employers to find people. The Employment Service has developed a comprehensive strategy to address mobility issues.
24. Mr. Shaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what support and advice has been given to schools to improve the rate of attendance by pupils. [103700]
Jacqui Smith:
We are investing £500 million over three years on projects tackling truancy and school exclusion and other initiatives to get children back into school and learning. To support this major investment, we issued new guidance to schools in July 1999 entitled "Social Inclusion: Pupil Support", which includes evidence on what works in increasing attendance rates at school.
On 1 November 1999 we also issued our strategy document "Tackling Truancy Together" which sets out our further proposals for helping to reduce unauthorised absence from school. We are currently considering the
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many responses we received to the proposals in that document, and will make an announcement soon on what further action we want to take to help reduce unauthorised absence from school.
25. Mr. Ivan Lewis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his plans for funding the further education sector. [103701]
Mr. Wicks:
In November 1999 I announced an additional £365 million for further education in 2001-02, bringing funding to nearly £3.9 billion, a 7.7 per cent. rise in real terms over 2000-01. A consultation document which we published on 11 January sets out how the Learning and Skills Council will fund post-16 education and training from April 2001. Further Education will continue to play its key role in improving the skills base of the country.
32. Mrs. Betty Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to raise standards in the further education sector. [103710]
Mr. Wicks:
Higher standards in further education colleges are being promoted through the Further Education Standards Fund which comprises £275 million over the three years from 1999-2002. The Government will also continue to promote high standards in Further Education through new legislation in the Learning and Skills Bill, which includes provision for improved post-16 inspection arrangements.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many 16 to 19-year-olds are receiving full-time education in (a) school sixth forms, (b) sixth form colleges and (c) general further education colleges. [106014]
Mr. Wicks:
The latest provisional figures for 16 to 18-year-olds in full-time education in England are for end of calendar year 1998. They are shown in the table:
| Thousand | |
|---|---|
| Schools(6) | 394 |
| Sixth form college | 112 |
| Other FE college | 380 |
| Total | 886 |
(6) Includes independent and special schools
Source:
Statistical First Release 13/99: Participation in education and training by 16 to 18-year-olds in England, 1988 to 1998
Families
26. Mr. Ernie Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to encourage changes in employment practices to facilitate the combination of employment with family responsibilities. [103703]
34. Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress is being made
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in developing a campaign to encourage changes in employment practices to bring about a better balance in people's lives between work and home. [103712]
Ms Hodge:
Our campaign will be delivered in partnership with leading employers and others. It will promote good practice that both benefits the business and enables employees to balance work and home better. Details are currently being finalised.
27. Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to assess the independence of external examiners in the higher education degree process. [103705]
Mr. Wicks:
My right hon. Friend has no such plans. External examiners are contracted by, and answerable to, the autonomous higher education institutions who appoint them. The institutional reviews undertaken by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education look at a range of issues relating to external examiners.
29. Mr. Healey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to make it easier for firms to notify vacancies to the Employment Service and to obtain information on vacancies posted. [103707]
Ms Jowell:
From Autumn 2000 the Employment Service will be introducing a new set of IT-based gateways to give its customers convenient, user friendly access to its services. Employers will benefit from having their vacancies displayed to a much wider range of jobseekers through touchscreen kiosks in Jobcentres and elsewhere, and on an Internet Jobsbank. Notifying Jobcentres will be made easier for employers by providing them with a single national telephone number and internet-based links.
30. Mr. Gareth R. Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on progress made under the new deal for young people in meeting the target of moving 250,000 young people into jobs. [103708]
Ms Jowell:
With over 169,000 young people having found jobs to the end of October 1999, the trend indicates that we will meet the manifesto commitment to move 250,000 young people into work under the New Deal for Young People. The success of the New Deal so far will be built on by extending further help with basic skills and personal presentation to young people who will benefit, particularly the most disadvantaged. The 60 per cent. cut in long-term youth unemployment since May 1997 is good news for our young people and for the prosperity of the country.
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