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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

School Bus Service

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children have access to a school bus service; and what was the cost of providing such services to (i) primary and (ii) secondary children in the last year for which figures are available. [124532]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 5 June 2000]: We do not collect statistics on school children who have access to a school bus service. Provisional figures for local education authority expenditure in England on school transport in 1998-99 were £78 million for pre-primary and primary schools, £164 million for secondary schools, and £203 million for special schools.

Medical Students

Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students entered medical school in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [126917]

Mr. Wicks [holding answer 21 June 2000]: The following table sets out the number of full-time undergraduate entrants to medical schools in UK HE institutions in each of the last five years.

	Number
1999-2000	5,306
1998-99	5,105
1997-98	5,044
1996-97	4,833
1995-96	4,699

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SEN Statements

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many complaints he has received in the last two years from parents of children with statements of special educational needs who consider that their LEA is failing to meet the special educational provision specified in the statement. [127142]

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not available in this form. During the past two years Ministers at the Department for Education and Employment have answered about 650 letters dealing with special educational needs issues and almost 6,500 letters were answered by officials.

School Funding (Warrington, North)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total capital allocation since May 1997 to schools in the Warrington, North constituency; and if he will break down these capital allocations by category of grant. [127317]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 26 June 2000]: The following table shows the information requested for Warrington, North.

£

Category	Grant allocation
NDS1 Allocation-1997-98	37,328
NDS2 Allocation-1998-99	613,441
NDS3 Allocation-1999-2000	998,201
NDS4 Allocation-2000-01	640,032
Energy Efficiency Initiative Allocation-1998-99	36,135
Class Size Capital Allocation-1998-99	80,000
Class Size Capital Allocation-1999-2000	637,088
Class Size Capital Allocation-2000-01	(4)180,000
Devolved Formula Capital Allocation-2000-01	347,521
Total	3,569,746

(4) Reserved pending statutory proposal decision

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the schools in Warrington, North constituency which have received funding through the New Deal for schools; and in each case for what purpose the money was allocated. [127318]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 26 June 2000]: The following table shows the information requested for Warrington, North.

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School	Purpose of grant allocation
Beamont Infant and Junior	Replacement of Dining Room
Beamont Community Infant	Energy and Efficiency Initiative
Bewsey Lodge Primary	Replacement of Pipe Work
Brook Acre Community Primary	Enclosure to Existing Fire Escape Staircase
Brook Acre Community Primary	Energy and Efficiency Initiative
Bruche Community Infant	Re-roofing Main School
Burtonwood Primary	Window Repairs
Burtonwood Community Primary	Re-build Gable Wall
Callands Community Primary	Provision of One Classroom
Culcheth Community Primary	Provision of One Classroom
Culcheth High	Electrical Re-wire
Culcheth High	Replace Heating Boilers
Culcheth High	Fire Alarm System Unification
Culcheth High	Improvements to Ventilation
Culcheth High	Alterations to Heat Treatment Area
Culcheth High	Re-roofing
Culcheth High	Re-slate Roof and Window Repairs
Culcheth High	Refenestration of Block C
Glazebury CE Primary	Boiler Replacement
Hollins Green St. Helen's Primary	Provision of One Classroom
Locking Stumps Community Primary	Repair of Floor
Newchurch Community Primary	Replacement of Copper Roof
Padgate Community High	Re-roofing
St. Alban's RC Primary	Refenestration
St. Alban's RC Primary	Refurbishment of Toilets
St. Andrew's CE Primary	Re-surfacing of Paved Areas and Footpath, Playground, Carpark and Access Road
St. Margaret's CE Primary	Provision of Two Classrooms
St. Margaret's CE Primary	Energy Efficiency Initiative
St. Oliver Plunkett RC	Energy Efficiency Initiative
St. Paul of the Cross RC Primary	Provision of One Classroom
St. Phillip's CE Primary (Playgroup)	Construction of Extension to Existing Teaching Area
St. Stephen's RC Junior	Provision of Toilets
St. Stephen's RC Primary	Refurbishment of Infant Toilets
St. Stephen's RC Primary	Provision of Nursery Toilets
St. Stephen's RC Primary	Energy Efficiency Initiative
Twiss Green Community Primary	Refenestration and Replacement of Fascias
Twiss Green Community Primary	Replace Heating System
Twiss Green Community Primary	Provision of Two Classrooms
William Beamont Community High	Replace Fire Alarm System
William Beamont Community High	Refurbishment of Sport Facilities
William Beamont High	Energy Efficiency Initiative
Winwick CE Primary	Energy Efficiency Initiative
Winwick CE Primary	Provision of One Classroom
Woolston Primary	Provision of One Classroom
Woolston Community High	Improvements to Floor and Provision of Dust Extraction in CDT Room
Woolston Community Primary	Installation of Fire Doors to Hall
Woolston Community Primary	Re-roofing
Woolston Community High	Science and Technology Block--to Replace Deteriorating Mobiles

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Careers Education

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the linkages between personal health and social education and careers services for young people. [127457]

Jacqui Smith: There are strong links between careers education (which is a statutory requirement for pupils aged 14-16) and the revised Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) framework, which we expect schools to implement from autumn this year and includes reference to career planning and management. In April we published a booklet "Careers Education in the New Curriculum"--a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library--which sets out the relationship between these areas, as well as the new Citizenship programme of study. We encourage schools to take advantage of the introduction of PSHE and Citizenship to enhance the provision of careers education. Many schools already teach these areas in an integrated manner.

Teenage Pregnancies

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the linkages between personal health and social education and targets to reduce teenage pregnancy rates. [127458]

Jacqui Smith: The Government have launched a wide-ranging programme to tackle the unacceptably high level of teenage pregnancies in Great Britain. The Department for Education and Employment will shortly publish new sex and relationship education guidance which is an important part of this broader strategy, and will assist schools in educating young people so that

27 Jun 2000 : Column: 474W

teenage pregnancies are reduced. The guidance will be firmly rooted in the PSHE framework and National Curriculum published in autumn 1999.

This programme includes funding a number of local education authorities through the Standards Fund to reintegrate school age mothers back into the education system and support age-appropriate educational projects aimed at reducing the rate of teenage conception by raising pupils' self esteem, exploring issues of choice and responsibility and peer pressure. We aim to ensure that these initiatives are integrated with individuals schools' Personal, Social and Health Education frameworks and other approaches such as Sure Start and child care pilots for 16 and 17 year olds.

Tuition Fees

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the cost of abolishing tuition fees for undergraduate courses in higher education in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [127506]

Mr. Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to my reply dated 14 February 2000, Official Report, column 393W. Figures for beyond 2001-02 depend on student numbers on which decisions have not yet been made.

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