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Learning and Skills Councils
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what procedure will be adopted for appointment of members to the local learning and skills councils; and if such appointments will be subject to local advertisement and consultation. [115008]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 16 March 2000]: Members of the local Learning and Skills Councils will be appointed on merit and in accordance with the seven principles of public appointments of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). All posts will be advertised in the appropriate local press.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the reasons which underlie the revision of the timetable for appointments to the Learning and Skills Council as explained in a letter to the hon. Member for Daventry from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary dated 13 March. [115010]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 16 March 2000]: The Learning and Skills Council Bill was published in the House of Lords on 16 December. When we published the Learning and Skills Council Prospectus, we had anticipated that the Bill would be published first in the House of Commons. We have revised the timetable for appointments to reflect the changed circumstances. I wrote to the hon. Member with details on 13 March.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what arrangements will be made for the continuation of local Education-Business Partnerships and partnerships with other public education providers and local authorities when TECs are replaced by local learning and skills councils. [115007]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 16 March 2000]: From April 2001 Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs) will be responsible for ensuring effective systems are in place to foster links between education and business, including the maintenance of an effective network of Education Business Partnerships and other education business link organisations. My Department has published a consultation document about how best to achieve this under the Learning and Skills Councils.
The network of local Learning Partnerships--which involve colleges, local authorities, schools and a wide range of others--will have a crucial role to play alongside local LSCs. The two bodies will work closely together to identify the key actions needed to continue to improve provision in local areas with Learning Partnerships perfectly placed to provide the necessary in-depth understanding of local needs. I am making available £10 million to Learning Partnerships in each of the next two years to help them fulfil this vital role.
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Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if a personal careers interview is now available to all 16-year-olds who request one. [115005]
Mr. Wicks
[holding answer 16 March 2000]: Every 16 year old will get the careers information and guidance they need to enable them to make well-informed decisions. This may include a careers interview if this is appropriate to help them make a successful transition to post-16 learning.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on progress in the national roll out of individual learning accounts. [115004]
Mr. Wicks
[holding answer 16 March 2000]: We are seeking to establish a public/private partnership to run a Customer Service Centre to administer individual learning accounts. As part of the tendering process, discussions will take place about the roll out of the national system.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many TECs have merged their operation with chambers of commerce; and what arrangements will be made for continued business involvement by membership of their successor bodies. [115006]
Mr. Wicks
[holding answer 16 March 2000]: Of the existing 72 TECs, 16 have merged their operations with chambers of commerce.
In developing our plans for the LSC, we have listened closely to business and acted on their recommendations. We recently announced that on both the national and local Learning and Skills Councils 40 per cent. of the LSC members, together with the national Chair and most local Chairs, will have substantial recent business or commercial experience.
We are also taking a wide range of steps to ensure continued involvement in the LSCs by business leaders with a strong interest in learning and skills. For example Nick Reilly, the Chairman and Managing Director of Vauxhall Motors Ltd., has set up a Business Champions Group to raise awareness in the business community about the Learning and Skills Council and to encourage business involvement.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many and what percentage of full-time students are claiming disabled student allowance; and what was the total cost in each of the last three years. [115003]
Mr. Wicks
[holding answer 16 March 2000]: The number and value of disabled students' allowances made by local education authorities in England and Wales as part of the mandatory awards scheme in the academic years 1995-96 to 1997-98--the latest years for which figures are available--are shown in the following table.
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The percentage of award holders in receipt of DSAs is not available since students can receive more than one allowance. There is a general disabled students allowance as well as separate allowances for specialist equipment, non-medical helpers and travel costs resulting from a
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disability. However, the number of mandatory award holders in each year is shown in the following table for comparison. Information on the number of students claiming DSAs in 1998-99, when DSAs were no longer means tested, should be available in April 2000.
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| Academic year | Number of allowances | Value of allowances (£ million) | Total award holders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 6,550 | 9.1 | 770,820 |
| 1996-97 | 8,120 | 10.4 | 765,090 |
| 1997-98 | 10,770 | 13.3 | 769,660 |
(6) Students can receive more than one type of allowance
(7) All figures are shown in cash terms. The amounts shown are the gross amounts of the allowances. Because of the effect of income assessment, the net cost of disabled students allowances paid as part of the total award will be lower.
Source:
F503G
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Sixth Forms
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many state secondary schools in England (a) have and (b) do not have a sixth form. [115072]
Mr. Wicks: As at January 1999 there were 3,560 maintained secondary schools in England, of which 1,831 schools have a sixth form.
GCSE Performance
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on differences in performance at GCSE between state secondary schools (a) with and (b) without a sixth form. [115070]
Ms Estelle Morris: Provisional figures for 1999 show that the GCSE achievements of 15 year old pupils in maintained mainstream schools with and without sixth forms are:
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Westgate College, Newcastle
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students have achieved five grade A to C passes at GCSE at Westgate College, Newcastle, since the College was formed; what proportion of students at the College this represents; and what is the position of Westgate College among schools in (a) Newcastle, (b) the North East and (c) England ranked in descending order of achievement of five grades A to C at GCSE in the last three years. [115307]
Ms Estelle Morris: The proportion of 15-year-old pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE passes at grades A*--C at Westgate College, Newcastle are as follows:
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 6 |
| 1995-96 | 7 |
| 1996-97 | 8 |
| 1997-98 | 6 |
| 1998-99 | 10 |
The position of Westgate College among maintained schools in the last three years is as follows:
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| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) In Newcastle | 11th (out of 11) | 11th (out of 11) | 11th (out of 12) |
| (b) In the North East | 162nd (out of 164) | 160th (out of 164) | 161st (out of 166) |
| (c) In England | 3,075th (out of 3,130) | 3,096th (out of 3,137) | 3,073rd (out of 3,150) |
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