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Knowledge Economy
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisations and individuals he has consulted while undertaking the cross-departmental review of the Knowledge Economy; in what form he has consulted them; on how many occasions he has met them; and if he will make a statement. [126005]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Informal consultations were held in confidence with a range of external organisations and individuals during the course of the review. The outcome of the review will be announced as part of the Government's new spending plans for 2001-02 to 2003-04.
Spending Review
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Treasury will require Departments to include environmental appraisals in their submissions to the Treasury on the spending review. [125977]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The guidance issued to Departments for the conduct of the Spending Review makes clear that evaluation of policy options should be carried out in accordance with the Treasury document "Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government" (revised 1997) and by DETR's publication "Policy Appraisal and the Environment: Policy Guidance" (1998). Both of these stress the importance of environmental costs and benefits being considered in appraisals, even when these cannot be easily quantified.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training has been undertaken to assist staff of Government Departments to assess the implications of spending reviews for the Government's sustainable development objectives. [125978]
Mr. Andrew Smith: It is a matter for individual Departments to ensure the relevant staff are adequately trained in policy appraisal. Within the Treasury, economic appraisal is included in microeconomics training for staff. The Spending Review guidance issued to Departments included references to sources of guidance on policy appraisal. It also reminded Departments that advice on sustainable development, or sources of expertise on environmental considerations can be obtained from DETR's Sustainable Development Unit.
In addition, the First Annual Report of the Green Ministers Committee included a commitment that all Departments would put in place strategies to raise awareness on sustainable development and general environmental issues.
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Community Banking
Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations he has had on the expansion of community banking; and with whom. [124588]
Miss Melanie Johnson: On 16 November 1999 the Government published a report by Police Action Team 14 on ways to improve individual access to financial services, and by the Credit Unions Taskforce on ways in which banks and building societies could help credit unions to grow. Last month I met members of the All Party Group on Community Banking Services and will soon be meeting with the Association of British Credit Unions.
Barnett Formula
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the expenditure per head was in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England and (d) each Government Office region in England in each year since 1990 on (i) health and social services and (ii) education services covered by the Barnett formula; [126002]
- (2) what proportion of public expenditure in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales was of the type covered by the Barnett formula in each year since 1990; and what expenditure per head in each country for that share of spending resulted; [126010]
(3) what categories of expenditure in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales were covered by the Barnett formula in each year since 1979; and what changes in those categories he has under review in the current spending review; [126003]
(4) if he will publish the population-based spending allocation formula share for each year since 1979 for (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland; and what population share he proposes to adopt as the basis for spending allocations in the 2000 expenditure review. [126004]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Information on the coverage of the Barnett Formula since 1979 was published in 1997 in Annexe 1 of the Treasury Committee report on the Barnett formula. The current coverage was published last year by the Treasury in the Statement of Funding Policy. No decisions have been made yet on the outcome of the current spending review.
The population-based spending allocation formula was set out in Annexe B of the Statement of Funding Policy and was also referred to in the above Treasury Committee report.
Information which is available on public expenditure trends by country and region including expenditure per head is published in the analysis of identifiable total managed expenditure by country and region in Chapter 8 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (Cm 4601).
Dormant Accounts
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will introduce legislation to compel banks and other institutions to search for claimants to accounts which have remained dormant for more than five years; [126174]
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- (2) if he will introduce legislation to ensure that money in dormant accounts is not held by banks or other institutions for longer than 10 years. [126173]
Miss Melanie Johnson: We have no plans to do so.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Trade Barriers
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans the Government have to encourage other developed nations to lift trade barriers and quotas to help developing countries compete in the export market. [115921]
Clare Short: The Government have pressed the EU--which represents all member states in WTO negotiations--to seek, in the next Round of multilateral trade negotiations in the WTO, reduction of the barriers to agricultural and non-agricultural trade. We are also strongly committed to provide duty free access for essentially all products from the Least Developed Countries by 2005. We are pressing the Commission to bring forward proposals to fulfil this commitment and to exempt as few products as possible. Thereafter, we will press for all remaining barriers on imports from the Least Developed Countries to be removed as pledged by the Prime Minister in his speech at Mansion House on 22 November. We are urging other developed countries to match this commitment.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Careers Service
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 5 May 2000, Official Report, column 218W, on the Careers Service, if he will produce a revised list of the Careers Service contractors holding (a) a Charter Mark, (b) an Investors in People award and (c) an International Standards Organisation registration. [126517]
Mr. Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 5 June 2000, Official Report, columns 144-47W.
PE Teachers
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to celebrate excellence among PE teachers; and if he will make a statement. [124681]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 5 June 2000]: The Sports Strategy, which was published in April this year, explicitly recognises the contribution of inspirational PE teachers in enabling young people to develop physical skills, in promoting personal and social development and in laying foundations for sport and healthy exercise to become a lifelong habit. The Sport England awards, Sportsmark and Activemark, recognise good practice nationally in primary and secondary schools and celebrate the teachers responsible for attaining these very high standards, and I attended the recent Sportsmark national presentation. We have also introduced Advanced Skills Teachers, a grade which offers experienced, excellent
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classroom teachers, including specialists in physical education, an enhanced pay scale, encouraging them to stay as front-line teachers rather than moving into management. We have also introduced this year new arrangements which give all good qualified teachers the opportunity to cross the threshold onto a new upper pay range.
National Curriculum (International Dimension)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the contents of the international dimension to the revised National Curriculum, with particular reference to (a) values and (b) issues covered. [124747]
Jacqui Smith: The Government's approach to the international dimension in the National Curriculum is spelt out in the "Values, aims and purposes" section of the National Curriculum handbook:
- Education influences and reflects the values of society, and the kind of society we want to be. It is important, therefore, to recognise a broad set of common values and purposes that underpin the school curriculum and the work of schools.
- Foremost is a belief in education, at home and at school, as a route to the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, physical and mental development, and thus the well-being of the individual. Education is also a route to equality of opportunity for all, a healthy and just democracy, a productive economy, and sustainable development. Education should reflect the enduring values that contribute to these ends. These include valuing ourselves, our families and other relationships, the wider groups to which we belong, the diversity of our society and the environment in which we live. Education should also reaffirm our commitment to the virtues of truth, justice, honesty, trust and a sense of duty.
- At the same time, education must enable us to respond positively to the opportunities and challenges of the rapidly changing world in which we live and work. In particular, we need to be prepared to engage as individuals, parents, workers and citizens with economic, social and cultural change, including the continued globalisation of the economy and society, with new work and leisure patterns and with the rapid expansion of communication technologies.
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