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Correspondence
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letters of 4 April and 3 May from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent Helen Cruickshank. [126675]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I replied to the hon. Member on 8 April. A copy will be forwarded.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter of 9 May from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent Vernon Hope. [126676]
Dawn Primarolo: I replied to the hon. Member on 14 June.
Landfill Tax
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ring-fence landfill tax for waste recycling and reduction. [126804]
Mr. Timms: I have no plans to do so. However, the recently published Waste Strategy announced that the Government propose to use the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme to help deliver an increase in recycling, particularly of household waste.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Magistrates Courts
Mr. David Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) cases were dealt with by (i) stipendiary magistrates and (ii) non- stipendiary magistrates benches and (b) each way cases were referred to the Crown court by (1) stipendiary magistrates and (2) non-stipendiary magistrate benches in each magistrates courts committee, for the last five years for which figures are available. [126442]
Jane Kennedy: A breakdown of cases dealt with by stipendiary magistrates and non-stipendiary magistrates benches is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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CABINET OFFICE
Business Excellence Model
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the progress of Phase three of the Public Sector Benchmarking project relating to the use of the Business Excellence Model. [125940]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The Public Sector Benchmarking Project promotes the EFQM Excellence Model (previously the Business Excellence Model) to the public sector. Phase three, which begun in April 1998, includes arrangements for easy access to training and support at reduced rates. Since then, the project has introduced over 1,000 public sector organisations to the Model.
The Model is now used throughout the public sector, including local government, central Government, schools, hospitals, police forces, fire brigades, Agencies and non-departmental public bodies. It is used in support of the Modernising Government agenda, through policies such as Best Value and Better Quality Services.
We are not complacent. We are studying further the impact of the Excellence Model to help us decide how we can improve our efforts to maximise the use of the Excellence Model in the public sector.
The Public Sector Benchmarking Project is now known as the Public Sector Excellence Programme.
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Taskforces and Review Groups
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the (a) task forces and (b) review groups which have been established since 1 May 1997, indicating which are still in existence; and how many there were on 1 May in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2000. [126500]
Mr. Stringer: A full list of Task Forces established between 2 May 1997 and 31 October 1999 was placed in the Library of the House on 9 December 1999. A list of review groups established during the same period was placed in the Library on 1 February 2000. We have given a commitment to update these lists every six months. Updated lists covering the period to the end of April 2000 will be published shortly.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Statistics
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what statistics relating to the responsibilities of his Department are collated by parliamentary constituency, indicating the dates covered in each case. [123846]
Mr. Wills [holding answer 25 May 2000]: The information requested is shown in the following table:
20 Jun 2000 : Column: 169W
| Subject area | Availability/frequency of publication/reference period |
|---|---|
| Working age employment rates | Annually for 1996, 1997 and 1998. 1999 data due in January 2001. Published by ONS |
| Working age economic activity rates | As above |
| ILO unemployment rates | As above but only available for about 80 constituencies due to small samples sizes |
| Claimant unemployment rates and claimant unemployment levels by age and duration | Monthly from January 1996. Latest available data is for April 2000. Published by ONS |
| Employee jobs by industry | 1995-98 data are available currently. Next update for 1999 due in March 2001. Published by ONS. |
| Average earnings of full-time employees | Available for 1998 and 1999. Published by ONS. |
| New Deal for Young People Statistics | Available quarterly and updated quarterly |
| Proportion of 15 year old pupils in schools achieving 5 or more A*-C GCSE/GNVQs (by parliamentary constituency of the school) | Collated for 1998-99 |
| Proportion of 15 year old pupils in schools with 1 or more A*-G GCSE/GNVQs (by parliamentary constituency of the school) | Collated for 1998-99 |
| Proportion of school pupils achieving level 4 at Key Stage 2 in English and Maths. (by parliamentary constituency of school) | Collated for 1998-99 |
| 1997-98 Individual College Results: median college (by parliamentary constituency of college) | Collated for 1997-98 |
| Class sizes (by parliamentary constituency of school) | Collated for January 200 |
| A-level results (by parliamentary constituency of school/college) | Collated for 1998-99 |
| Unauthorised absences--Percentage half days missed due to unauthorised absences (by parliamentary constituency of school) | Collated for 1998-99 |
Note:
Other information collected in the Annual Schools Census, and school performance data using other measures than those quoted, could not be collated by constituency
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New Deal Gateway
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to increase the flexibility of the New Deal Gateway in order to cope with those clients with severe social problems. [123883]
Ms Jowell: There already exists a high degree of flexibility in the Gateway for those with severe social problems, not least through the individually tailored support from the New Deal Personal Adviser. They are able to make use of systematic assessment techniques to identify problems that may be preventing the young person moving into employment. Young people will then, if necessary, be referred by their adviser to a range of provision which can help them with jobsearch, training in basic skills, dealing with issues such as drug or alcohol abuse. This help can be continued beyond the Gateway when the young person is on an option.
Advisers will also be able to defer entry to the new Gateway to Work by a few weeks for those young people who have other issues that need to be resolved and who would not be ready to benefit from the course.
School Lunches
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in the Library a list and a summary of responses to consultation on draft regulations and guidance for minimum nutritional standards for school lunches. [124496]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 5 June 2000]: A list and a summary of responses to our consultation on draft regulations and guidance for minimum nutritional standards for school lunches was published on 19 June, and copies have been placed in the Libraries.
Health and Safety
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the resource implications of the incorporation of health and safety issues into the National Curriculum; and if he will make a statement on developments on this matter. [125714]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 14 June 2000]: Health and safety issues have always been included in the National Curriculum. The revised curriculum, which will take effect in autumn 2000, contains clearer and fuller statements of the general principles applying to health and safety teaching, including the importance of risk assessment. Subject specific requirements are highlighted in individual subject orders. The only new requirement relates to Information and Communications Technology to reflect the massive increase in the use of computers in schools in recent years.
£6 million is available to schools from the Standards Fund to support the implementation of the revised National Curriculum. In addition, the Health and Safety Executive and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority have produced joint guidance on teaching health and safety issues which is available at www.hse.gov.uk/policy/ genteach.htm.
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