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Job Creation (Shropshire)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many new jobs have been created since 1 May 1997 in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire; and if he will make a statement. [110130]
Ms Jowell: The information is shown in the table.
| Employment level (Thousand) | Employment rate (Percentage) | |
|---|---|---|
| Shropshire | ||
| March-May 1997 | 186 | 74.0 |
| March-May 1999 | 218 | 78.4 |
| September-November 1997 | 200 | 73.8 |
| September-November 1999 | 222 | 78.3 |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham local authority district | ||
| March-May 1997 | 48 | 78.9 |
| March-May 1999 | 48 | 77.6 |
| September-November 1997 | 49 | 70.8 |
| September-November 1999 | 52 | 81.1 |
As these figures are seasonally unadjusted, it is only appropriate to make comparisons over whole years. In the two years to the latest figures (September-November 1999) the number of people in employment has risen by 22,000 in Shropshire and by 3,000 in Shrewsbury and Atcham. In the two years from March-May 1997, the number in employment rose by 32,000 in Shropshire and was unchanged in Shrewsbury and Atcham.
The Labour Force Survey is a sample survey, and sampling variation is greater the smaller the estimate; all the changes shown here are well within sampling variation.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those local education authorities in England that have adopted action plans to tackle institutional racism since publication of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report; what those action plans propose; and what action those local education authorities have undertaken to implement those plans. [111106]
10 Mar 2000 : Column: 851W
Jacqui Smith
[holding answer 22 February 2000]: Our "Social Inclusion: Pupil Support" guidance gives advice to Local Education Authorities; schools and governors about dealing with racial incidents in schools. Local Education Authorities should be able to provide assistance to schools dealing with racial harassment and bullying, within the guidelines we have issued. It is for Local Education Authorities to decide how best to support schools in addressing racism, without imposing additional burdens on them. Information on the action taken by Local Education Authorities to help schools deal with racism is not held centrally.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's Action Plan and first Annual Report set out what the Government have achieved, and action yet to be taken across the public services, to respond to the recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report. In addition, this Department published a Memorandum on its response to the three recommendations of Inquiry Report which relate to education. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those local education authorities in England that have established strategies for working with the police in relation to racist incidents committed against or by pupils and students of the LEA. [110368]
Jacqui Smith
[holding answer 22 February 2000]: Our "Social Inclusion: Pupil Support" guidance, issued in July 1999, makes clear that all Local Education Authorities should receive annual information from school governing bodies on the pattern and frequency of racist incidents in schools. It is for Local Education Authorities to decide how best to develop strategies to support schools, pupils and students in addressing racism, in the light of the information they receive each year. This would include joint working with local police forces, where this is appropriate.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received on the obstacles to employment of British ski instructors in France; and if he will make a statement. [113918]
Mr. Wicks:
No representations have been received this skiing season. My officials are continuing to work closely with the British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI) and the European Commission on this matter.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) women aged 55 to 60 years and (b) men aged 60 to 65 years were in full-time employment in the Greater London area on 1 February. [113834]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
10 Mar 2000 : Column: 852W
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 10 March 2000:
Ms Buck:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what has been the average value of the child care component of the Working Families Tax Credit for (a) England and (b) each region; [110546]
Dawn Primarolo:
Estimates for the average childcare tax credit and the percentage of child care costs that this represents within awards of the Working Families Tax Credit made by the end of January 2000 are given in the table. The national average childcare tax credit at £31 is 40 per cent. higher than the average amount of extra Family Credit awarded for child care charges at the end of August 1999 at £22.
The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on older people in full-time employment in Greater London on 1 February 2000. I am replying in Dr Holt's absence.
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the government's main source of labour market data on individuals. The most recent data available from the LFS is for autumn (September to November) 1999. In this quarter, the LFS estimated the number of women aged 55 to 59 in full-time employment in London as 51,000. During the same period, the number of men in full-time employment aged 60 to 64 in London was also 51,000.
People aged 16 or over are classed as in employment by the LFS if they have done at least one hour of paid work (as an employee or self-employed) in the week prior to their LFS interview or if they have a job that they are temporarily away from. People who do unpaid work in a family business and people on Government supported training and employment programmes are also included according to the International Labour Organisation convention.
The definition of whether somebody is working full or part-time is based on the respondent's self assessment.
(2) if he will estimate what percentage of average actual child care costs are met by the child care component of the Working Families Tax Credit in (a) England and (b) each region. [110547]
| Government Office Region | Average childcare tax credit (2) (£) | Percentage of actual child care costs |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 31 | 66 |
| England | 32 | 66 |
| North East | 32 | 67 |
| North West | 29 | 65 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 30 | 66 |
| East Midlands | 32 | 66 |
| West Midlands | 30 | 66 |
| East of England | 32 | 66 |
| London | 39 | 64 |
| South East | 32 | 65 |
| South West | 29 | 66 |
| Wales | 29 | 67 |
| Scotland | 28 | 68 |
| Northern Ireland | 35 | 66 |
(2) Calculated as the extra amount of Working Families Tax Credit arising from the Childcare Tax Credit for families with eligible child care costs
Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent to date on the Childcare Tax Credit of the Working Families Tax Credit; and what is his latest estimate of expenditure in (a) this financial year and (b) in each of the next two financial years. [108761]
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Dawn Primarolo:
The extra amounts of Working Families Tax Credit arising from the Childcare Tax Credit in awards made by the end of January 2000 will result in expenditure of about £85 million during the 26 week period of award. It is estimated that for 2000-01, the first full year of the credit, the extra expenditure due to the Childcare Tax Credits will be about £275 million. An estimate for 2001-02 is not available.
Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parents are claiming the Childcare Tax Credit in respect of children (a) aged under eight years and (b) over eight years; and what is the average payment per (i) family and (ii) child. [108760]
Dawn Primarolo:
The ages of children relating to the Childcare Tax Credits in the Working Families Tax Credit are not readily available. An analysis based on the ages of all children in families receiving the Childcare Tax Credit is given in the table. These figures are for awards of the Working Families Tax Credit made by the end of January 2000.
| Family composition | Number of families with Childcare Tax Credit |
|---|---|
| All children aged under 8 | 47,500 |
| All children aged 8 or over | 9,500 |
| At least one child under 8 and at least one child aged 8 or over | 17,000 |
| Total | 74,000 |
Families in receipt of the Childcare Tax Credit received on average an extra £44.50 per week as a result of this credit, or £32.20 per week per child.
Judy Mallaber:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many families in Amber Valley are (a) eligible to claim and (b) are claiming ChildCare Tax Credit; and how many children are the subject of such claims; [109044]
(3) how many families in Amber Valley are receiving Working Families Tax Credit who were not previously eligible for Family Credit; [109042]
(4) how many families in Amber Valley have benefited from the Working Families Tax Credit. [109041]
Dawn Primarolo:
It is estimated that 1,200 families in Amber Valley have been awarded the Working Families Tax Credit by the end of January 2000, receiving on average around £23 a week more than they would on Family Credit. A more detailed breakdown of these awards is not available because of the small size.
Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his latest estimate of the take-up of the Childcare Tax Credit of the Working Families Tax Credit; [108752]
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Dawn Primarolo:
Within awards of the Working Families Tax Credit made by the end of January 2000 there were about 74,000 families in receipt of the Childcare Tax Credit. It is estimated that this figure will rise to about 125,000 for 2000-01, the first full year of the credit. An estimate for 2001-02 is not available.
Ms Buck:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the actual full-time equivalent child care costs of recipients of the child care tax credit are being met on average through the credit in (a) England and Wales and (b) each region. [111271]
Dawn Primarolo:
Estimates given are for couples who both work at least 30 hours a week and lone parents working at least 30 hours a week. These represent the average childcare tax credit within awards of the Working Families Tax Credit made by the end of January 2000, expressed as a percentage of child care costs.
(2) what estimate he has made of the average amount by which the incomes of families in receipt of Working Families Tax Credit in Amber Valley have changed as a result of being in receipt of that tax credit; [109043]
(2) how many families have so far received the Childcare Tax Credit of the Working Families Tax Credit; and how many he estimates will receive in (a) the course of this financial year and (b) in each of the next two financial years. [108763]
| Government Office Region | Average childcare tax credit (3) as percentage of actual child care costs |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 64 |
| England and Wales | 64 |
| North East | 65 |
| North West | 65 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 65 |
| East Midlands | 65 |
| West Midlands | 66 |
| East of England | 66 |
| London | 62 |
| South East | 62 |
| South West | 63 |
| Wales | 67 |
| Scotland | 66 |
| Northern Ireland | 65 |
(3) Calculated as the extra amount of Working Families Tax Credit arising from the Childcare Tax Credit for families with eligible child care costs.
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