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New Deal (Advertising)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total cost to date of publications on, and advertising of, New Deal programmes for the unemployed. [118512]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 10 April 2000]: A sum of £1,849,405 has been spent on publications and a sum of £9,697,576 has been spent on advertising New Deal. These figures exclude the cost of VAT but include amounts incurred for New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 plus, New Deal 50 plus, New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People and New Deal for Disabled People.

The sums do not include expenditure on the promotion of New Deal for Lone Parents, as the Department of Social Security takes the lead on this programme.

Deputations

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many requests for meetings with deputations of hon. Members and groups from their constituencies, his Department has received in each year since 1997, on issues relating to (a) further and (b) adult education; how many have (i) he and (ii) other Ministers in his Department (1) seen and (2) refused to see; and if he will make a statement. [118924]

Mr. Wicks: This information is not centrally available and could be collected only at a disproportionate cost.

Pre-school Sector

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pre-schools and playgroups in Dartford (a) have benefited and (b) are expected to benefit from the special Government grants made available to relieve financial pressure on the pre-school sector. [118821]

Ms Hodge: Our records for the 1998 and 1999 schemes to assist pre-schools and playgroups facing financial difficulty show that no applications for grant were received from pre-schools and playgroups in Dartford.

Arrangements for the administration of the new scheme, which I announced on 29 March 2000, will be discussed with the voluntary pre-school and playgroup support organisations. Among the main issues to be taken into account in deciding applications for grant will be the

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financial position of the group, quality issues, longer term viability and any comments received from the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

Ofsted Inspections

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total cost of Ofsted inspections since their inception for (a) the county of Cheshire, (b) the constituency of Crewe and Nantwich and (c) the town of Crewe. [119013]

Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 13 April 2000]: This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Energy Efficiency

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his Department's energy efficiency performance target, expressed as a percentage change in comparison with 1990-91, for each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [118999]

Mr. Wills: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 22 March 2000, Official Report, columns 548-49W. It was explained then that a new target had been set across the Government estate, to apply from 2000-01, of a one per cent. per annum reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The base year will be 1999-2000 as it was the final year to which the previous target applied. My Department will aim to meet this target. It represents a change against the previous cross-Government Target to 31 March 2000 which was expressed in terms of reductions in energy expenditure. Measurement in greenhouse gas emissions provides a much better fit with the current climate change programme and the UK's Kyoto targets.

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the percentage change compared with 1990-91 in his Department's energy efficiency in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement. [118998]

Mr. Wills: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale) on 22 July 1999, Official Report, columns 580-84W, which reported progress for all central government departments to 31 March 1998. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions expect to publish results for the period up to March 1999 shortly.

School Milk

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health regarding the reintroduction of free milk for school children; and if he will make a statement; [119009]

(2) what recent representations he has received regarding the reintroduction of free milk for school children; [119011]

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(3) what assessment he has made of the feasibility of reintroducing free milk for school children. [119012]

Jacqui Smith: The law already requires that those local education authorities and schools that choose to provide milk must make it available, without charge, to pupils whose parents receive Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Education and Employment and the Secretary of State for Health have not had any recent discussions about extending eligibility for free school milk. In the last six months we have received only three letters from members of the public pressing for the re-introduction of compulsory free school milk for all school children.

The Government have no plans to extend eligibility for free school milk or to make the serving of free milk compulsory. We have not therefore assessed the feasibility of doing so. We have however legislated to allow free drinking milk to be served at any time during the day, rather than only at lunchtime.

Milk is one of many foods that play an important part in a balanced diet. Milk and dairy foods are part of our proposals for minimum nutritional standards for school lunches, which will come into operation next year. We will be recommending in our guidance to school caterers that drinking milk should be made available every day. We also encourage schools to claim existing subsidies for school milk, such as those available through the European Community School Milk Subsidy Scheme.

Early-years Education

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what additional resources were allocated to maintained nursery schools as part of the Chancellor's Budget; in which Government publication reference to these additional resources is to be found; and by what means the information was communicated to maintained nursery school headteachers and governors; [119193]

(2) what additional resources have been allocated to those early years educational providers that form part of local education authorities' Early Years Childcare and Education Development Partnerships to provide early years places for all four year olds, as a result of the recent Budget announcements. [119195]

Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 14 April 2000]: I have written to the headteachers of all schools in England who will benefit from the extra £290 million we are making available following the Budget. This includes maintained nursery and primary schools. The money is part of a real terms increase of over 10 per cent. this year. Copies of the letters, including those sent to nursery schools, are being placed in the Library. The final allocations are subject to approval of a special grant report which was laid before Parliament on 6 April and is being debated on 17 April. No additional resources have been allocated directly to Early Years, Childcare and Education Development Partnerships. I have, however, made an additional £0.5 million available for pre-schools' groups and playgroups facing financial difficulties. This follows a similar scheme last year, and will give groups time in which to consider their longer term plans.

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Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what definition of nursery places is used by his Department in providing funding for nursery places for four-year-olds. [119492]

Ms Hodge: A nursery education place consists of five 2½ hour sessions per week over three terms of 11 weeks each.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many Early Excellence centres have been set up in the last three years; and at what cost. [119493]

Ms Hodge: We have designated 29 Early Excellence Centres in the last three years. Specific DfEE funding of £6 million has been made available during that period.

Leeds LEA

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many times his Department's officials have met the team of consultants appointed to evaluate Leeds Local Education Authority; and what future meetings will take place and for what purpose [119249]

Ms Estelle Morris: DfEE officials and Leeds officers met with PricewaterhouseCoopers' Leeds LEA team when interviewing them for the work in Leeds, and meet them at the regular steering group meetings which check on progress. Three such meetings have taken place and two further steering group meetings are planned for May. Individuals from the team will also continue to meet officials from the Department for the range of purposes set out in the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend on 11 April 2000, Official Report, columns 89-90W.

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