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Employment Targets
Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on progress towards fulfilment of the Government's target for getting young people into work. [111663]
Ms Jowell: The New Deal continues to progress well. We are now nearly three quarters of the way to reaching the manifesto pledge of helping 250,000 young people into work. The New Deal has helped more than 185,000 young people move into jobs by the end of December 1999.
Assisted Places Scheme (Shropshire)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer on the assisted places scheme of 15 February 2000, Official Report, column 475W, when the assisted places scheme will be phased out in Shropshire; and if he will make a statement. [111062]
Ms Estelle Morris: Almost all children currently holding assisted places in Shropshire will have completed their school education by the end of academic year 2003-04. We are providing continued support for existing assisted place holders for the remainder of the current phase of their school education. Those receiving secondary education will continue to hold their places until the completion of their secondary education. Those receiving primary education will normally hold their places until the end of their primary education, unless discretion is exercised under the Education (Schools) Act 1997 for individual children to have their places extended for a period in which they receive secondary education.
Education Action Zones
Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on recent developments in establishing education action zones. [111662]
Ms Estelle Morris: I am pleased to say that all 48 of the second round shortlisted applications have now been approved, over half of which were led by schools. That means there are now 73 EAZs across England. There are further plans to establish up to 50 small zones within the Excellence in Cities programme, 12 of which are due to start in April 2000.
New Deal (50 Plus)
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have found work through the New Deal for 50 plus. [111578]
Ms Jowell:
Since New Deal 50 plus started in the nine Pathfinder areas in Great Britain on 25 October 1999, nearly 600 people have come off benefit and started work with the help of the Employment Credit. Many of those finding work so far through this New Deal have been out of work and on benefits for a long time. New Deal 50 plus will be available across the whole country in April.
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Mrs. Dean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the total allocation of seed challenge capital for schools within Staffordshire County Council in the next financial year. [110742]
Jacqui Smith:
The total allocation of Seed Challenge Capital for schools within Staffordshire County Council in the next financial year is £458,806.
The next financial year, 2000-01, is a pilot year for Seed Challenge. If it is successful in building partnerships and raising additional funding, we will consider expanding the scheme in future years.
Mr. Caton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. [109936]
Ms Hodge:
This information is not held centrally, so could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) which local education authorities in Tyne and Wear had sums withheld from the extra £50 million grant for education; and on what basis those sums were withheld; [112101]
Ms Estelle Morris:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has yet to make a decision on the release of an authority's share of the £50 million special grant. He wants to see authorities passing the whole of their education SSA increases to their education budgets before doing so.
(2) how much each local education authority in Tyne and Wear received from the extra £50 million grant for education; and what was the basis of the apportionment to each local education authority. [112100]
| £ | |
|---|---|
| LEA | Share of £50 million grant |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 243,000 |
| North Tyneside | 182,000 |
| South Tyneside | 181,000 |
| Gateshead | 209,000 |
| Sunderland | 323,000 |
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will assess the impact on Newcastle's schools of a further delegation from the local education authority to schools of responsibility for
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specials needs services combined with a cut of £140,000 in LEA support for such services. [112127]
Jacqui Smith:
The quality of provision for special education needs will be taken into account by Ofsted as part of its regular programme of school and LEA inspections. Newcastle local education authority (LEA) must determine how best to manage its budget for the benefit of all pupils. Regardless of whether funding is delegated to schools or retained centrally, the LEA retains responsibility for securing the necessary provision for pupils with statements of special educations needs.
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Mr. Alexander:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of the young people in the constituency of Paisley, South who have taken part in the New Deal Scheme and who are (a) white and (b) of non-white origin have moved on from the New Deal into permanent jobs. [110497]
Ms Jowell:
In the period to end the of November 1999 the information is as follows for the Paisley, South constituency:
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| White | Non-white | Declined to say | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Entered New Deal | 654 | 98 | 3 | Less than 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Leavers from New Deal | 480 | -- | 2 | -- | 5 | -- |
| Into unsubsidised jobs | 210 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 60 |
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We have set targets for all partnerships delivering New Deal, to achieve parity of outcome on jobs between white and ethnic minority young people. Paisley, South is part of the Renfrewshire Unit of Delivery which has responsibility for the parity target.
CABINET OFFICE
Magisterial Appointments
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what representations she has received on the proposed transfer of responsibility for magisterial appointments in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to the Lord Chancellor. [111577]
Marjorie Mowlam: Replies to the consultation paper were requested by the end of February 2000, and currently we have received 118. I have received my hon. Friend's reply, for which I thank him.
Cabinet Committee on Rural Affairs
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the special advisers to the Cabinet Committee on Rural Affairs; and if she will make a statement. [111912]
Marjorie Mowlam: The proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees are exempt from the commitment to disclose information under Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Drugs Policy
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent evidence her office has taken into account in formulating drugs policy. [111116]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The Government are responsive to all reliable drugs-related evidence which is available. Recent statistics show encouraging signs that Government anti-drugs measures are having a positive effect. For example, research undertaken in 1999 reported that the number of 14/15-year-olds who experimented at least once with illegal substances fell from around 32 per cent. in 1996 to around 26 per cent. in 1998.
28 Feb 2000 : Column: 150W
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