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CABINET OFFICE
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if she will make it a requirement for non-departmental public bodies that they should record the matters discussed and agreements reached in meetings held with other NDPBs in the form of minutes; [113302]
- (2) what proportion of non-departmental public bodies hold open meetings; [113307]
(3) how many people are board members of non-departmental public bodies in the United Kingdom; broken down between (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales. [113311]
Mr. Stringer: All executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are encouraged to publish minutes of meetings, either whole or in summary form, and to hold meetings in public. Individual Departments and NDPBs themselves are best placed to determine whether this is appropriate on a case-by-case basis. Information on the number of NDPBs holding open meetings is not held centrally.
There are currently over 30,000 men and women serving on the boards of NDPBs (and their equivalents) across the UK. Information on these office-holders, including information on the numbers serving in Northern
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Ireland, Scotland and Wales, is published in "Public Bodies 1999". Copies of "Public Bodies 1999" are available from the libraries of the House.
Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the review of public sector ombudsman schemes will be published. [113421]
Mr. Stringer:
I expect the report on the review of public sector ombudsman in England to be published by the end of March.
Global Warming Refrigerants
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make it his policy to issue advice to local education authorities discouraging against the use of global warming refrigerants, including HFCs, on their estates. [112566]
Jacqui Smith: The Department gives advice to local education authorities and schools in Building Bulletin 83, "Schools Environmental Assessment Method (SEAM)". This recommends specifying refrigerants which do not cause both ozone depletion and global warming.
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions steers policy on issues concerning ozone depleting chemicals and greenhouse gases, and the European Union has issued regulations to phase out the use of certain of these, such as CFCs and HCFCs. HFCs are often used as refrigerants in place of CFCs and HCFCs, and I understand that there are not any plans to prohibit their use at present.
Post-16 Curriculum
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the local education authorities which (a) have and (b) have not made additional funds available to schools for the implementation of the new post-16 curriculum. [113666]
Ms Estelle Morris: This information is not available. Local education authorities are not required to publish budget statements for school funding until 31 March 2000; and in any case such statements identify funding for 16+ pupils only in terms of the factors used for distribution rather than the curriculum components of sixth-form funding.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many young people have stayed at school after the age of 16 years in each of the 12 pilot areas for education maintenance allowance since the scheme was introduced; and what the figures were for the comparable period in 1998. [113120]
Mr. Wicks
[holding answer 6 March 2000]: Comparative data at this level of detail are not yet available for the period of the pilots. However, early
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indications are promising, with a number of schools and colleges in EMA areas reporting higher post-16 intakes this year.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the estimated cost of extending the Education Maintenance Allowance to the whole of England (a) if everyone eligible applied and (b) if take-up was the same as in the pilot areas. [111715]
Mr. Wicks:
Extending the Educational Maintenance Allowance to the whole of England would cost between £670 million and £940 million for an academic year if everybody eligible applied, depending on which model is chosen. However, we would not expect to achieve 100 per cent. take-up, as some young people would continue to choose alternatives to education such as a modern apprenticeship or a job with training.
If take-up is the same as in the pilot areas so far, the cost would be between £440 million and £560 million for an academic year, depending on which model is chosen.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will make it his policy that people with a mental illness will not be required to attend a ONE interview, if they do not wish to, for a period of three months following discharge from a psychiatric hospital; [113291]
(3) if ONE personal advisers will visit places of work to check their suitability for clients with a mental illness prior to placement; [113293]
(4) if the training of personal advisers and start-up personnel involved in the ONE project has involved directly people with a mental illness; and if he will make a statement; [113294]
(5) if clients will have the choice of an interview at home with ONE personal advisers. [113295]
Ms Jowell:
ONE puts work, and helping people to overcome barriers to work, at the heart of the benefit system. Everyone of working age making a claim to benefit meets with a Personal Adviser, who works with them to assess their job potential and provides access to a variety of help and information on work, benefit and services. Clients are treated as individuals with their own unique needs, abilities and circumstances, instead of being categorised as "unemployed", "lone parent" or "disabled".
It is entirely reasonable to expect all clients to come in for meetings with a personal adviser as a part of their claim so they can stay in touch with the labour market and be informed about the help and support on offer. We want to treat people as individuals, not to categorise people and make assumptions about whether or not they can work.
The requirements of ONE should be appropriate for all, including people with a mental illness. In developing the policy and the detailed processes, officials have had in-depth discussions with some of the key organisations dealing in mental illness (including MIND and the
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National Schizophrenia Fellowship) to ensure that ONE enables the groups they represent to participate in a positive way.
All ONE advisers have been trained to work effectively and sensitively with all ONE clients. Those with experience of, or expertise in, mental illness have participated in the training process. Advisers have guidance on working with clients with special needs which has been developed with their help.
Where it is appropriate for people to attend interviews, the ONE process is designed to give them sufficient time to make arrangements and sufficient opportunities to attend. Clients can bring an advocate with them to interview if they wish, and home visits can be offered where appropriate. Personal advisers also have the discretion to waive or defer an interview.
Personal advisers may consult with a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) and the DEA may accompany the personal adviser on the home visit. If a client has recently stayed in a psychiatric hospital, advisers should certainly consider carefully whether to defer an interview--but should not automatically assume that to be so. For some people the priority may be to sort out the benefits they are entitled to and to ensure their welfare needs are properly identified. Where ONE advisers place clients into work, we have no present plans for personal advisers to visit places of work prior to placement.
Finally, it is not possible to provide the information requested on participation in ONE by people with mental illnesses. Separate statistics on the numbers of people with mental health illness attending ONE meetings are not recorded.
Mr. Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which of his Department's regional initiatives will come under the remit of the new unit to co-ordinate the Government's approach to the regions. [113155]
Mr. Wicks:
The work of the Government Offices for the Regions on behalf of DfEE will come under the remit of the interdepartmental unit to co-ordinate the Government's approach to the regions.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment by what means his Department monitors the quality and range of (a) sports teaching and (b) sports provision in schools; and if he will make a statement. [113058]
Jacqui Smith:
Ofsted has the remit to monitor the quality and range of all teaching in schools, including PE activities, and to report on the quality and range of provision in schools. Ofsted's 1999 review of primary schools in England found that overall progress in PE is satisfactory or better in 97 per cent. of schools. The review of secondary schools found that in physical education pupils make good progress in most schools in Key Stage 3. The performance of skills and their application in games are usually satisfactory or better.
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(2) how many people with a mental illness have attended for a voluntary ONE interview across the pilot sites in England; [113292]
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