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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 4 April 2000
CABINET OFFICE
Regulatory Reform
Mr. Quinn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the Ministers responsible for regulatory reform; and if she will make a statement. [117920]
Marjorie Mowlam: The Ministers for Regulatory Reform in the key regulatory Departments are:
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on (a) the upkeep and (b) the purchase of works of art in her Department for each financial year since 1992. [117469]
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Mr. Stringer:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts, Official Report, columns 392-93W.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) who will have access to the full Knowledge Network Computer system; [117033]
(3) if information relating to opposition parties will be held on the Knowledge Network Computer System. [117097]
Marjorie Mowlam:
Access to the full Knowledge Network will be restricted to Ministers and civil servants (including Special Advisers).
On the question of availability of information from the Knowledge Network, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 23 March 2000, Official Report, column 691W and to the letter sent on 24 March from the Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service to the Chairman of the Public Administration Select Committee, a copy of which I am placing in the Library of both Houses.
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 27 March 2000, Official Report, column 42W, if it is the Government's policy to (a) support or (b) oppose the exemptions from EU employment law which are being sought by UEFA in its negotiations with the European Commission. [117625]
Ms Hodge:
No specific proposals have yet emerged from the EC. The Government expect that all member states would have the opportunity to discuss any possible changes to EU employment law. Consultation with national sporting bodies and other interested parties would be an important element of this.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what response he has made to the Audit Commission's report, "Fully Equipped", on the provision of disability equipment and services. [117367]
Ms Hodge:
I welcome the contribution to improving services for disabled people of the Audit Commission's report "Fully Equipped", which was addressed to the Department of Health.
The hon. Gentleman may wish to refer to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. McCabe) on 29 March 2000, Official Report, column 336, regarding the Government's intentions following publication of this report.
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Mr. Cotter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement. [117421]
Ms Hodge:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitley (Mr. Quinn) by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what studies he has made of the relative attractiveness and cost of study at United Kingdom higher education institutions compared with those in (a) developed anglophone countries and (b) other members of the European Union, for overseas students (i) in receipt of and (ii) without bursaries from public funds. [117363]
Mr. Wicks:
The Government commissioned the British Council last year, as part of the initiative to bring more international students to the UK, to research the relative attractiveness and the actual and perceived costs of studying in the UK compared with other developed anglophone countries. No distinction was made between students with or without bursaries. The summary of this research, the Brand Report, is available on the EducationUK website at www.educationuk.org. We have made no similar studies on other European Union member countries.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about the current responsibilities of his Department towards supporting the language and educational development of children under two years of age with a recognised hearing loss. [117364]
Jacqui Smith:
It is for local education authorities to make educational provision for children of statutory school age, and those over the age of two with a statement of special educational needs, including those with a hearing-impairment. Where appropriate, local education authorities may also make special educational provision for children under two years of age.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many teachers enrolled on mandatory courses leading to a qualification as a teacher of the deaf in each of the last five years; [117365]
Jacqui Smith:
The Department does not collect this information.
Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of extending free school meals to (a) all
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families in receipt of working families tax credit and (b) families in receipt of working families tax credit with less than half the average family income; [117142]
Jacqui Smith
[holding answer 3 April 2000]: The Department does not collect information on the cost of providing free school meals. We estimate that the annual cost in England of extending free school meals to children in full-time education (a) whose families are in receipt of working families tax credit would be over £400 million; (b) whose families are in receipt of working families tax credit with less than half the average family income would be slightly lower than £400 million; and (c) from families where a parent is in receipt of disabled person's tax credit could be in the region of £0.5 million.
We have no current plans to extend eligibility for free school meals (which would require primary legislation), but we are working closely with the Child Poverty Action Group on ways of increasing take-up by entitled pupils.
Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will use the number of pupils eligible for free school meals as a criterion for determining in which group a school is placed for the purpose of evaluating SATs results. [117229]
Jacqui Smith:
My officials already use eligibility for free school meals as a criterion in the presentation of the Autumn Package of pupil performance information to schools.
HM Treasury--Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo MP)
Ministers for Regulatory Reform in other regulatory Departments are:
Department of Trade and Industry--Minister of State (Patricia Hewitt MP)
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Whitty)
Department of Health--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Hunt)
Home Office--Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Mike O'Brien MP)
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food--Minister of State (the right hon. Joyce Quin MP)
Department for Education and Employment--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Margaret Hodge MP).
Department for Culture, Media and Sport--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Janet Anderson MP)
Department for Social Security--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Hugh Bayley MP)
Ministry of Defence--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr. Lewis Moonie MP)
The Ministers were appointed to drive forward the better regulation agenda throughout Government. They are charged with:
Lord Chancellor's Department--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jane Kennedy MP).
removing any regulations which are outdated or burdensome, and;
On 30 March the Prime Minister and I met Regulatory Reform Ministers at Downing Street to discuss progress.
ensuring that any necessary new regulations are introduced at the least cost to business.
(2) what information held on the Knowledge Network Computer system will not be placed on the internet; [117034]
(2) how many teachers undertook a mandatory course to train as a teacher of the deaf on a self-funding basis in each of the past five years. [117366]
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of extending free school meals to families where a parent is in receipt of the disabled person's tax credit. [117143]
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