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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Young People
Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the Government will publish the findings of the joint Women's Unit and Home Office's dialogue with young people. [118770]
Ms Jowell: My right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Home Office and I are launching "Listen Up!", our report on the dialogue, which is being published today; copies will be placed in the Library.
The report describes a major consultation exercise with young people run by the National Youth Agency.
This consultation was the first time in which Government consulted young women and young men separately. The report sets out their views and concerns. It looks, in particular, at issues such as the importance of family and parenting; preparation for adult life including school; careers choices; pressures to conform and self-esteem; vulnerability to risks; health, and crime. The report considers the significance of gender differences and looks at ways of involving young people more as policies are developed. It sets out the Government's response to the key concerns raised by young people, giving an outline of those areas where gender specific policies could make a difference.
Grammar Schools
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance he has given to Ministers of the Crown in respect of their involvement in campaigning for grammar school ballots. [118428]
Ms Estelle Morris: We are keen to encourage all debates on the issues of grammar schools to be conducted fairly. That is why we drew up the Ballot Information Code, which applies specifically to relevant national or local organisations engaged in providing material for parents relating to a petition or a ballot. We commend its principles to all those involved in the debate. A breach of the principles of the Code may lead the Secretary to State to declare a ballot void if, in his opinion, it is likely to have had a significant effect on voting.
Schools (Books and Equipment)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the extra funds for schools for books and equipment will be paid. [118368]
Ms Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend laid a special grant report before the House on 6 April, under section 88B of the Local Government Act 1988. Once approved, it will empower him to make payments to local authorities on condition that they pass those payments to schools, within a specified time period. It is expected that payments will be made to schools in May. The funds are not specifically for books and equipment, but may be used by schools for any purpose.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how the money for books and equipment announced by the Chancellor in the Budget
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Statement will be paid to schools that do not maintain a bank account separate from the local education authority. [118369]
Ms Estelle Morris: The funding will be paid to local authorities on condition they make it available for use by such schools. Regulations will be made that will require local education authorities to increase the budgets of all their schools by the amounts of grant indicated in special grant report No. 61. My right hon. Friend is minded to direct all local authorities to make available these sums within seven days of the budget increases required by the regulations. The funds are not specifically for books and equipment, but may be used by schools for any purpose.
Disabled People
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much was spent in the past three years on publicising the Access-to-work scheme; and what assessment he has made of the take-up of opportunities for recruitment and the retention of disabled employees. [118240]
Ms Jowell: Access-to-work is one of a number of programmes and services, provided through the Employment Service, to help disabled people get, or stay in, a job. As such, Access-to-work does not have a separate budget for publicity. During the first 10 months of the last financial year the Employment Service spent £314,000 marketing and promoting the full range of their services for disabled people and their employers. The following table shows how much was spent by the Employment Service, over the previous two financial years:
| Year | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 318,000 |
| 1998-99 | 388,012 |
The Access-to-work programme has been successful in helping an increasing number of disabled people in, or into, employment year on year. Over the current financial year we expect to help more than 23,000 disabled people through Access-to-work at a cost of nearly £26 million. This an increase of 3,000 on last year.
Furthermore, the Employment Service has, through its range of job placing services, helped over 88,500 disabled people find employment during the last financial year. In addition to this, it has helped over 4,500 disabled people retain their employment, by providing advice and support through their Disability Employment Advisers.
Further Education Colleges (Governors)
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what information he has collected as to the declared political position of persons appointed as governors of further education colleges since April 1998. [118091]
Mr. Wicks: This information has never been collected for further education.
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Learning and Skills Bill
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to what extent he intends that the role of career guidance professionals will be maintained and enhanced as a result of the Learning and Skills Bill [Lords]. [117781]
Mr. Wicks: Careers guidance will be a core element of the new ConneXions Service for 13 to 19-year-olds. ConneXions Personal Advisers will give careers advice and guidance as part of the comprehensive support to help raise young people's aspirations and overcome barriers to effective learning. The level and mix of skills required of Personal Advisers in the ConneXions Service represent a new profession. A training programme for Personal Advisers will underpin delivery of the new service and will ensure that Personal Advisers have the necessary skills in areas such as intervention, assessment, brokerage and careers advice and guidance.
Existing careers guidance professionals already have some of the skills required for this new profession and the expectation is that the majority will move to this new role. The DfEE will be consulting shortly on the Professional Framework for Personal Advisers and this will play an important part in developing the profession and the new role of Personal Adviser.
ConneXions Service
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will ensure that the ConneXions Service will be available to all 13 to 19-year-olds and that the level of support available to young people will not be less than that provided by the Careers Service at present. [117780]
Mr. Wicks: ConneXions will provide a major new integrated advice, guidance and support for young people. It will be a universal service which will improve the level of support for all young people aged 13-19.
ConneXions will continue to offer at least the same level of careers information, advice and guidance as is currently provided by the Careers Service.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how he will ensure that the knowledge and experience developed by career guidance practitioners will be used by the ConneXions Service. [117779]
Mr. Wicks: The ConneXions Service will offer at least the same level of careers information, advice and guidance for 13 to 19-year-olds as is currently provided by the Careers Service. But in order to remove the significant barriers to learning that many young people face, careers information, advice and guidance needs to be extended to cover matters relating to social welfare, criminal justice and health, in addition to vocational issues.
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The majority of Personal Advisers in the first phase of implementation will be drawn from existing careers and Youth Service practitioners. Over time the ConneXions training programme will ensure that all Personal Advisers are professionally qualified in all relevant aspects of information, advice and guidance to agreed standards for the profession.
A major training programme for Personal Adviser will be developed and the DfEE will shortly be consulting on the professional framework for this new profession.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his announcement on 30 March of an extension of Education Maintenance Allowance to further areas, on what criteria these areas were chosen; and what are the staying-on rates (a) in each of these areas and (b) as a national average. [117632]
Mr. Wicks: Following promising early evidence from the existing pilots, we have decided to extend the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) to a further 40 areas. These have been chosen as being representative and because they have relatively low post-16 participation, low GCSE attainment and high deprivation. The choice of areas also includes some additional rural areas where we will be concentrating on transport costs. For this, four areas have been chosen on the basis of the representative nature of their existing support for transport.
The following table shows the average staying on rates for 16-year-olds from 1995-98, and the national average for the same period:
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