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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Regeneration

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the number and value of (a) bids and (b) grants made in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available, for each (i) area-based and (ii) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible. [119801]

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Mr. Wills [holding answer 20 April 2000]: The information is not available in the format requested for all potentially relevant initiatives. The Department has adopted a range of approaches to provide support for those individuals most affected by deprivation, because we recognise that competitive bidding is not always the most effective method. The following examples demonstrate that range:

in the bidding process for Education Action Zones we received 60 bids for the 25 available places in the first round of Education Action Zones and 123 bids for the 50 available places in the second round for which 48 places were actually awarded. First round zones receive £750,000 in Government grant per year with the zone expected to raise a further £250,000 sponsorship from the private sector. Second round zones receive grant of £500,000 with a further £250,000 available on a pound for pound matched funding basis for every pound sponsorship raised from the private sector;

the Neighbourhood Support Fund (NSF) will annually help at least 15,000 of the most disaffected and disengaged 13 to 19-year-olds to re-connect with education, training and employment opportunities. Between 1999-2000 and 2001-02 £60 million will be made available to support some 700 NSF projects that will test the effectiveness of a variety of approaches to re-engaging the disaffected young. Some of these do not involve competitive bidding. The individual members of the Learning Alliance (CSV, NACRO, Rathbone CI, and the YMCA), will be funding NSF projects directly via their local affiliates in the 40 target areas, at a total annual cost for projects of £2 million. The National Youth Agency (NYA), working closely with local authority youth services, will identify potential NSF projects and then select the most promising to fund. The NYA is currently processing applications for NSF support from more than 150 community/voluntary organisations, with a total value of approximately £5 million. The NYA aims to fund 80 projects per annum at a combined yearly cost of £3 million. The Community Development Foundation (CDF) has invited competitive bids from community and voluntary groups and has received more than 1,300 applications for NSF funding, with a total value of around £26 million. Some 400 projects have been approved to date. The CDF will eventually support about 600 projects, at an annual cost of £12 million;

Excellence in Cities (EiC) is not a traditional bidding programme. Forty-seven local authorities, responsible for city schools, have been invited to become part of the programme and are guaranteed funding provided they meet quality assessment thresholds;

the approach for establishing Employment Zones involved an open and competitive bidding process to run a commercial operation where bids were assessed, against published criteria, by independent consultants;

to support early years education, we are making specific grants available to Local Education Authorities (from September 1999-March 2002) to almost double the number of three year olds in early education places. While this new money is not geared towards any regeneration initiatives it is being targeted on those children with greatest social need. This money does not form part of any bidding process.

Barristers (Disability)

Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what recent representations he has received regarding the exclusion of barristers from the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; [120782]

(2) what plans he has to amend the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to include barristers; and if he will make a statement. [120781]

Ms Hodge [holding answer 8 May 2000]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State received a report on 13 December 1999 from the Disability Rights Task Force,

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set up by the Government to consult and advise on how to implement comprehensive and enforceable civil rights for disabled people. In its final report, the Task Force made over 150 recommendations. On 13 December, my right hon. Friend announced that the Government would be bringing forward legislation to give effect to the education recommendations of the Task Force. On 30 March, the Government issued an interim response to the report's recommendations in the areas of local government, health and social services, housing, the environment and participation in public life.

Also on 30 March, I informed the House in a written reply that the Government are still considering a number of the recommendations that would require legislative changes to the DDA. One such recommendation is that the employment provisions of civil rights legislation should cover barristers. The Government's final response to the report will be made in due course.

Employment and Social Affairs Council

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the outcome of the Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 8 May; and if he will make a statement. [121570]

Ms Jowell: I represented the UK at the Employment and Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 8 May. There were two items on the agenda: the Broad Economic Guidelines 2000 (BEGs), prepared by Economic and Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) in accordance with Article 99 of the Treaties establishing the European Community; and Article 13 (non-discrimination).

In the discussion on the Broad Economic Guidelines, the UK supported the emphasis on structural reform, but argued that more attention should be given to tackling social exclusion. The Presidency undertook to write to ECOFIN summarising the views of the Employment and Social Affairs Council and said that he had received an assurance that ECOFIN would not be invited to finalise its draft of the BEGs until it had received the views of the Council.

The Presidency reported on the negotiations on the two proposed Directives and the action programme brought forward under Article 13(non-discrimination). The Presidency noted that a number of issues remained to be resolved but hoped to register progress at the SAC on 6 June.

Supply Teachers (Jury Service Cover)

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proposals he has to reimburse schools who have to engage supply teachers temporarily to replace teachers who are absent on jury service; and if he will make a statement. [121729]

Ms Estelle Morris: The Department has no plans to reimburse schools for any costs incurred in covering teachers who serve on juries. The arrangements for paid and unpaid leave for jury service are determined under teachers local contracts of employment.

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Homophobia Video

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in how many schools the video, "Beyond a Phase: A Practical Guide to Challenging Homophobia in Schools", is available. [121968]

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold this information. I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave on 14 April 2000, Official Report, column 297W.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which relocation companies his Department has used when relocating civil servants since May 1997. [122294]

Mr. Wills: During the period in question, the Department has used only one relocation company, Cendant Relocation (UK) Ltd.

New Deal

Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many New Deal places have been (a) offered, (b) taken up and (c) completed in his Department since the start of the New Deal. [122231]

Mr. Wills: I can confirm that in response to (a) a total of 54 individuals have been offered New Deal placements in my Department, of whom (b) 44 have taken up the offer and in response to (c) a total of 8 placements have been completed.

Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many New Deal places have been (a) offered, (b) taken up and (c) completed within Leeds City Council since the start of the New Deal. [122228]

Ms Jowell: From April 1998 to May 2000 no New Deal clients have been directly employed by Leeds City Council on the Employment Option.

Groundwork manages the New Deal ESF option in Leeds. Leeds City Council run the ETF programme for Groundwork. Since April 1998, 127 New Deal clients have started the Council's ETF option. Some of these will subsequently have started work for LCC--but the Employment Service does not have details of those engaged or specific numbers.

Universities (ICT Funding)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the costs of upgrading the existing IT structure within the universities to allow individual academics access to JANET 4, broken down by research council. [122136]

Mr. Wicks: We have allocated approximately £150 million to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for capital investment in information and communications technology over the period 1999-2000 to 2001-02. The improvement in the backbone to the JANET network, SuperJANET4, is being met from top-sliced funding from all the HE Funding Councils, of which HEFCE's contribution is £40 million. Individual higher education institutions and research

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councils wanting to enhance their local area networks to exploit the extra bandwidth available will need to fund this from within their annual grant allocation.

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