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No-smoking Policy

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on (a) the effectiveness of his Department's no-smoking policy and (b) the proportion of his Department's offices that do not allow smoking. [125156]

Mr. Blunkett: The Department for Education and Employment restricts smoking to designated areas. This effectively provides a non-smoking working environment for staff. All DfEE Headquarter buildings restrict smoking in this way.

Key Stage 2 (Marking)

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what inter-marker reliability data are available for end of Key Stage 2 English tests. [124896]

Jacqui Smith: External Marking Agencies collect data about relative marking performance of markers engaged in marking each subject at each key stage.

Two types of data are collected.

Judgmental data about the general marking performance of markers together with information about how well they have managed the marking process and adhered to administrative procedures and deadlines.

The variation in marking standards between the team leaders and the markers who report to them is measured. This is known as the absolute mark difference (AMD) criterion. This measurement is taken at more than one stage during the marking process--twice for all markers and three times for some markers. The values for each marker are compared with pre-determined bands of marking acceptability and a judgment is made about any corrective action which may be required or, in some cases, the requirement to stop a marker from carrying out any further marking. (In cases where markers are stopped, all scripts from the marker's allocation are re-marked by an approved marker.)

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, who are responsible for the development and administration of the National Curriculum on behalf of the Secretary of State, collect the AMD data from all external marking agencies to enable the monitoring of marking variation year-on- year and to establish whether or not the pre-determined bands of marking acceptability require adjustment in future years.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools returned end of Key Stage 2 English test papers for a review of marking last year. [124893]

Jacqui Smith: Last year 2,210 schools returned end of Key Stage 2 English test papers for a review of marking. In 1999, 16,364 schools with 629,000 pupils nationally took part in the end of Key Stage 2 tests.

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Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many Key Stage 2 English markers were removed last year on grounds of unsatisfactory performance. [124892]

Jacqui Smith: There were 45 Key Stage 2 English markers removed last year on grounds of unsatisfactory performance. This represents 2.2 per cent. of the total markers involved in marking the end of Key Stage 2 English tests nationally.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the correlation between the year-on-year increase in the number of end of Key Stage 2 English test papers returned for a review of marking and exam marking standards. [124895]

Jacqui Smith: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, responsible for the development and administration of the National Curriculum on behalf of the Secretary of State, has not established any direct relationship between the number of review requests received and the information which it has available concerning marking standards. As the percentage of review requests is very small, less than 1 per cent., it would not be statistically valid to attempt to draw any conclusions from the data which are available.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proposals he has to amend the Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2000-01. [126068]

Mr. Wills: Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Revised Estimate for Class I, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services), the overall DfEE Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for 2000-01 (excluding Welfare to Work) will be decreased by £190,000 from £18,355,709,000 to £18,355,519,000.

This change in Vote 1 is the result of a transfer to Class III, Vote 1 (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions: Housing, construction, regeneration regional policy, planning and countryside and wildlife, England) of £190,000 for the rough sleepers initiative.

Sixth Forms

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the average A level points score per pupil for 11 to 18 years schools, with sixth forms containing (a) 50 or fewer, (b) 51 to 100, (c) 101 to 150, (d) 151 to 200, (e) 201 to 250 and (f) more than 250 pupils. [124695]

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Mr. Wicks: The average GCE A/AS point score per pupil for schools with an age range of 11 to 18, with sixth forms containing:

(a) 50 or fewer pupils: 7.4

(b) 51 to 100 pupils: 9.4

(c) 101 to 150 pupils: 11.9

(d) 151 to 200 pupils: 14.6

(e) 201 to 250 pupils: 15.7

(f) more than 250 pupils: 15.8.

Education Council (Luxembourg)

Mr. Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the outcome was of the Education Council held in Luxembourg on 8 June; and if he will make a statement. [125786]

Ms Jowell: The Council of EC Education Ministers, at which the UK was represented by Nicol Stephen MSP, Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning in the Scottish Executive, adopted a Decision to establish the European Year of Languages 2001.

Ministers held an open debate on the future challenges and objectives of education systems in the learning society. The Council agreed that education and training policies would play a key part in ensuring the successful follow-up to the conclusions agreed at the Lisbon European Council, and on the need for Education Ministers to feed into the Luxembourg Employment Process. Ministers recognised that benchmarks and the exchange of good practice could be useful tools in supporting appropriate action at member state level. Ministers put forward proposals for policy areas which should be covered by the report of Education Ministers to the Stockholm European Council in spring 2001. Discussion covered the Commission's work on the e-learning initiative, which was welcomed by member states.

The Commission presented a report on quality indictors in school education. It also gave progress reports on the Recommendation on Quality Evaluation in School Education, and the Recommendation on Mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, young volunteers, teachers and trainers.

A copy of the Council minutes will be placed in the Library.

Social Affairs Council

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the outcome was of the Social Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on 6 June; and if he will make a statement. [125171]

Ms Jowell: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle), and I represented the UK at the Social Affairs Council meeting on 6 June.

Political agreement was reached by the Council on a Directive implementing the principle of equal treatment of persons irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin. This is the first legislative proposal brought under Article 13 of the Treaty. The Directive covers a range of issues including employment, access to social protection and social security; access to education; and access to goods

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and services. All member states with scrutiny reserves, including the UK, lifted them. The Presidency gave a progress report on negotiations on the other proposals brought forward under Article 13--a draft Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation and a Community Action Programme.

The Council debated its role in following up the Special European Council held in Lisbon in March and its input to the Spring European Council to be held in 2001. The Council agreed conclusions which would be transmitted to the Presidency of the EU before the European Council, in Feira. The Council noted the Employment Committee's work programme for 2000.

The Council unanimously adopted a decision setting up a Social Protection Committee. The Council endorsed a report of the High-Level Working Group on Social Protection and agreed to submit it to the European Council at Feira. The report sets out two priorities--a pensions study and the identification of common objectives and indicators of social protection.

The Council discussed three outstanding issues arising from the Commission's proposals for simplification of Regulation 1408/71. The Regulation concerns the co-ordination of member states' social security systems--including healthcare--and is aimed at assisting free movement of workers within the Community. None of the issues was resolved. Technical negotiations will continue at official level.

The Council adopted a mixed Resolution (of the Council and of the Ministers for Employment and Social policy meeting within the Council) on the balanced participation of men and women in working and family life.

The Council reached broad agreement on the draft Directive on temporary work at height (the "Scaffolding Directive").

The Commission made a presentation on its study of the implications of the European Court of Justice rulings (Decker and Kohll) concerning reimbursement for medical treatment: these will be made available to member states following further relevant rulings from the Court.

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