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Single Currency

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the costs to his Department of conversion to the euro from the pound. [126402]

Mr. Wills: Should the UK decide to join the euro, the cost of a changeover would depend on the detailed approach taken to a changeover.

Performance-related Pay

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment whether teachers employed to teach in (a) institutions for young people maintained by social sciences departments and (b) prison institutions for young offenders are eligible for performance-related pay. [126318]

Ms Estelle Morris: Teachers employed to teach in institutions for young people maintained by social services departments and in prison institutions for young offenders are not, as of right, subject to the terms of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document and are not eligible to apply for the threshold in the current round of the assessment process. In response to representations received from institutions wishing to mirror the threshold arrangements, we are actively considering how to open up threshold training and the external assessment process to such institutions once the immediate pressures of the current application round have reduced.

School Milk

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent guidance he has issued to (a) infant, (b) junior and (c) primary schools in England and Wales on school milk schemes. [127029]

Jacqui Smith: The Government encourage schools to provide drinking milk, and to make use of either the EU School Milk Subsidy Scheme or the Welfare Food Scheme. These schemes are administered by the Intervention Board, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and by the Department of Health, respectively.

Class Sizes

Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the average class size was for classes taught by one teacher in (a) 1996 and (b) 2000 for (i) pupils in Key Stage 1, (ii) pupils in Key Stage 2, (iii) primary schools and (iv) secondary schools in (1) Great Britain and (2) each parliamentary constituency. [126175]

Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Class size information covering English parliamentary constituencies for 1996-97 and 1999-2000 has been placed in the Library.

Provisional national estimates of Key Stage 1 classes for January 2000 were recently published in a Statistical First Release "Class sizes in maintained schools in England: January 2000 (15/2000)" on 12 April 2000.

National figures for infant class sizes in September 1999 were published in Statistical First Release "Infant class sizes in England (2/2000)" on 21 January 2000.

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The Government are well on target to deliver their pledge to limit infant classes to 30 pupils. At the same time, average class sizes in maintained primary schools went down for the second year running--from 27.5 in January 1999 to 27.1 in January 2000, after rising for the previous 10 years. The average size of junior classes also fell, from 28.4 in January 1999 to 28.3 in January 2000. Maintained secondary classes are already much smaller than primary, with around five fewer pupils on average. The pupil:teacher ratio in secondary schools in January 2000 was 17.1. It is worth bearing in mind that secondary classes rose steadily under the previous Government--in 1998 the figure was 19.9; and that in the Budget, secondary headteachers received between £30,000 and £50,000 each to spend as they choose. If they spent it on teachers, they could reduce the secondary pupil:teacher ratio by 0.4.

For information on class sizes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, I refer the hon. Member to the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Disabled School Children

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what (a) resources and (b) money targeted at improving access for disabled school children has been made available (i) nationally (ii) in Teesside and (iii) in the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [126496]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Each year we make resources available through the School Access Initiative, to invest in making mainstream schools accessible to those with disabilities and sensory impairments. The following table sets out the amount allocated each year since 1997-98, nationally, in Teesside, and to Redcar and Cleveland LEA (which covers the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East).

This is part of this Government's determination to improve educational standards for all children and work towards a more inclusive approach for children with disabilities. More than 1,900 schools will benefit from this year's £30 million programme. Working closely with LEAs like this offers us the best opportunity to secure a coherent approach to opportunities for disabled children.

Financial year	England (£ million)	Teesside(6) (£)	Redcar and Cleveland LEA (£)
1997-98	3.6	57,860	15,000
1998-99	11	175,000	35,000
1999-2000	20	350,000	100,000
2000-01	30	490,000	140,000

(6) Includes Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland LEAs

Correspondence

Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Hexham of 22 February about the reduction in Northumberland school budgets. [126768]

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Mr. Wills: A reply will be issued by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister shortly.

New Deal

Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each parliamentary constituency (a) the total number of leavers from the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds, (b) the total number of leavers who have gone into sustained unsubsidised employment and (c) the total number of leavers whose destination is unknown in 1999; and if he will make a statement. [126178]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 19 June 2000]: The information on young people showing the number of leavers and the number of people moving into sustained unsubsidised employment is already held at constituency level in the Library. Although the number of people leaving for unknown destinations is not published at constituency level, it is available at Unit of Delivery level and is also in the Library. More statistical information is available and more research findings are published on New Deal than any previous Government programme.

Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many lone parents in Paisley, South have found employment as a consequence of the New Deal for Lone Parents. [126816]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Between October 1998 and the end of March 2000, 78 lone parents in Paisley, South had found employment as a consequence of the New Deal for Lone Parents.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the impact of the New Deal for (a) young people, (b) those aged over 50 years and (c) the long-term unemployed in Coventry. [125642]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 13 June 2000]: Up to the end of March 2000, 3,140 young people and 2,215 long term unemployed adults had benefited from starting the New Deal in Coventry. The New Deal for those aged 50 or over was launched nationally in April this year and it is too soon to provide statistics. New Deal has had a major impact on the employability of those who have taken part in the initiative; already over 1,750 people have found jobs. Many others have gained from the Personal Adviser approach and benefited from training, education and work experience opportunities.

Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people on the New Deal for over 25s in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh (i) at the end of March and (ii) at the latest available date, (1) were in the advisory interview process, (2) had found unsubsidised jobs through the advisory interview process, (3) had transferred to other provision, (4) were in subsidised employment, (5) had taken education and training opportunities, (6) were in training for work and (7) were in follow through. [125754]

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Ms Jowell: The information is contained in the following table.

	Edinburgh	Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh
In advisory interview process	499	73
Found unsubsidised jobs through advisory interview process	160	35
Transferred to other provision	119	22
In subsidised employment	32	5
Taken education and training opportunities	61	7
In Training for Work	42	5
In Follow Through	3	0

Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in Edinburgh had (a) joined the 18 to 24 New Deal, (b) gained subsidised jobs from the 18 to 24 New Deal, (c) gained unsubsidised jobs from the 18 to 24 New Deal, (d) started on the 18 to 24 New Deal Gateway, (e) entered each of the 18 to 24 New Deal Options and (f) been on follow-through (i) at the end of March and (ii) at the latest available date. [125822]

Ms Jowell: Latest figures show that to the end of March 2000 in Edinburgh 3,099 people joined the New Deal for Young People, 232 gained subsidised jobs, 1,238 gained unsubsidised jobs, 2,739 started on the New Deal Gateway, 232 started the employment option, 397 started Full Time Education and Training, 239 started the Voluntary Sector option, 194 started the Environment Task Force option and 594 started Follow Through. We are on course to meet our Manifesto commitment of 250,000 jobs.

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