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General Teaching Council

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received on the minimum qualifying period of two years teaching experience for candidates seeking election to the General Teaching Council. [119706]

Jacqui Smith: The Secretary of State has not received any representations on the minimum qualifying period to stand for election to the General Teaching Council.

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the minimum information required from candidates seeking election to the General Teaching Council; and if he will make a statement. [119705]

Jacqui Smith: The General Teaching Council for England (Constitution) Regulations 1999 set out the eligibility criteria for candidates. Teachers seeking election must have qualified teacher status; must have been employed as a teacher in the 12 months preceding the election and for an aggregate of two years in the five years preceding the election; and must also not be prohibited from teaching. The electoral scheme required candidates, their proposer, seconder and five others to be on the GTC's electoral roll and in the same constituency as the candidate.

Mental Health Awareness

Ms Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to raise awareness of mental health issues among school children. [119578]

Jacqui Smith: The National Healthy School Standard (NHSS), which was launched last October, has as one of its specific themes 'Emotional Health and Wellbeing', which will include awareness of mental health issues.

The NHSS will be delivered as an integral part of the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) framework in schools. Over the next two years, through the Standards Fund, £5.7 million each year is being made available by DfEE and DH to LEAs to fund the running of Health Education Partnerships, which in turn should assist schools in the attainment of the National Healthy School Standard. £19,000 (£2.85 million nationwide) was made available to every LEA last year to help set up these partnerships.

Teachers' Pay (Wales)

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will take steps to amend the law to enable the National Assembly for Wales to pursue a policy of not basing teachers' salaries on an assessment of pupil performance; and if he will make a statement. [119583]

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Ms Estelle Morris: Teachers' pay is not currently devolved and there are no plans to change this. We believe that while there remains a single pay structure, the same opportunities must be available to teachers in both England and Wales to access the new pay levels.

Learning and Skills Council

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in which national newspapers advertisements for appointments to the Learning and Skills Council were placed. [119700]

Mr. Wicks: The posts of Chair and Chief Executive of the proposed Learning and Skills Council, and the Chairs and Executive Directors of the Council's 47 local arms were advertised in the week commencing 2 April. Advertisements for these appointments were placed in the Sunday Times, the Mail on Sunday, the Sunday Telegraph, the Observer, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Times, the Independent, the Times Education Supplement, the Times Higher Educational Supplement, the Eastern Eye/Caribbean Times, the Nation, the Asian Times/New Nation, and the Voice.

Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to appoint the Chair and Chief Executive of the proposed Learning and Skills Council. [120233]

Mr. Wicks: The Learning and Skills Bill has received its Second reading in the Commons, thereby indicating Parliamentary support for the principle of the Bill. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has started the recruitment process for the national Chair and Chief Executive and the local Chairs and Executive Directors of the proposed Learning and Skills Council. The successful candidates will not formally be appointed to these positions until after the Bill has received Royal Assent.

Parliamentary approval for expenditure on the Learning and Skills Council will be sought in the Summer Supplementary Estimate for the Department for Education and Employment Vote (Class 1, Vote 1). Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £1,285,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

This expenditure is required to meet the cost of recruiting for key posts, together with preparatory work on information and business systems, premises and personnel arrangements for future Learning and Skills Council staff. Its urgency arises from the need to have both the Chair and Chief Executive in place as soon as possible after Royal Assent to ensure that public funds are properly protected and to enable their full participation in the planning process to ensure rapid progress to the establishment of the Learning and Skills Council in April 2001.

University Constitutions

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to consult on changes to universities' constitutions and to reform the visitorial system of disputes resolution in old universities; and if he will produce a timetable. [119678]

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Mr. Wicks: The Government have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England to ensure that all higher education institutions have in place student complaint procedures which meet the requirements set out in the report of the Dearing Committee. I understand the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education will shortly launch a Code of Practice on student appeals and complaints which will make reference to university governance. The Government will consider the position in the light of the Code of Practice and discussions with representative bodies.

Special Schools

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) primary and (b) secondary special schools have been placed on special measures in each year since 1995 in each local education authority. [119538]

Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 17 April 2000]: The number of primary and maintained and non- maintained special schools which have been placed in special measures in each local education authority area since 1995 is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries. While there are some special schools which cater for pupils wholly of primary school age, or wholly of secondary school age, there are many others which cover age ranges bridging part or the whole of the primary and secondary phases. The table does not distinguish between special schools covering the wide number of possible different age ranges. The figures in the table represent those primary and maintained and non-maintained special schools which were inspected by Ofsted during that academic year and deemed to be in need of special measures. In total, of the 609 primary schools that have been in special measures, 382 have so far come out and 41 closed. Of the 122 special schools that have been in special measures, 66 have so far come out and 26 closed.

Local Learning Partnerships

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the extent of current involvement by higher education institutions in local learning partnerships and on the future development of this involvement. [119613]

Mr. Wicks: Of the 101 Learning Partnerships now established across England, 67 directly involve higher education institutions (HEIs) as members while many others are engaging with HEIs in other ways (for example, through thematic or geographical working groups tackling specific local issues). The DfEE--alongside regional and local partners--is working to further improve links between Learning Partnerships and all those local and regional bodies with an interest in post-16 learning. I fully expect that to result in increased involvement of HEIs in the work of Learning Partnerships.

Special Educational Needs

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to develop performance indicators for the delivery of services by (a) local education authorities, (b) mainstream schools and (c) special schools to children with special educational needs. [119324]

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Jacqui Smith: Education Development Plans and Ofsted inspections are used to monitor local education authorities. Annual performance tables are published for both primary and secondary schools. We are considering what if any further information could be used to measure the performance of LEAs and schools with children with special educational needs.

Adult Learning Inspectorate

Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to appoint the Chair and Chief Inspector of the proposed Adult Learning Inspectorate. [120182]

Mr. Wicks: The Learning and Skills Bill has received its Second reading in the Commons, thereby indicating Parliamentary support for the principle of the Bill. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will shortly start the recruitment process for the Chair and Chief Inspector of the proposed Adult Learning Inspectorate. The successful candidates will not formally be appointed to these positions until after the Bill has received Royal Assent.

Parliamentary approval for expenditure on the Adult Learning Inspectorate will be sought in the Summer Supplementary Estimate for the Department for Education and Employment Vote (Class 1 Vote 1). Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £285,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

This expenditure is required to meet the cost of recruiting the Chair and Chief Inspector of the proposed Adult Learning Inspectorate together with preparatory work on information and business systems, premises and personnel arrangements for future Adult Learning Inspectorate staff. Its urgency arises from the need to have both the Chair and Chief Inspector in place as soon as possible after Royal Assent to ensure that public funds are properly protected and to enable their full participation in the planning process to ensure rapid progress to the establishment of the Adult Learning Inspectorate in April 2001.

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