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New Deal (Lone Parents)
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean) of 1 March 2000, Official Report, column 313W, on the New Deal for Lone Parents, if he will place in the Library a copy of the invitation letter issued to 443,700 lone parents. [130753]
Ms Jowell: I have arranged for a copy of the invitation letter to be placed in the Library.
New Deal (Young People)
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the impact of the New Deal for Young People on levels of long-term unemployment among young people in Glasgow, Pollok. [130296]
Ms Jowell: The New Deal for Young People is aimed at people aged 18-24 who have been claiming unemployment benefits for six months or more.
Claimant unemployment among this group has fallen by 70 per cent. in the three years since April 1997 and by 56 per cent. since April 1998 when the New Deal was introduced. Part of this fall is due to the delivery of a strong and stable economy, but the New Deal for Young People has helped unemployment to fall even faster. The fall of 56 per cent. since the New Deal was introduced compares with a fall of 18 per cent. in total unemployment, 23 per cent. in total youth (18-24) unemployment and 26 per cent. in the total number unemployed for six months or more. The effect of the New Deal is confirmed by independent research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
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It is not possible to measure the New Deal effect exactly in each constituency. However, in Glasgow, Pollok the falls in unemployment among the New Deal client group have also been substantially faster than for other groups. In Glasgow, Pollok constituency in the two years since April 1998 claimant unemployment among those aged 18-24, unemployed for six months or more, has fallen by 68 per cent. from 315 to 101. This compares with a fall of 18 per cent. in total unemployment, 28 per cent. in total youth (18-24) unemployment, and 32 per cent. in the total number unemployed for six months or more.
School Uniforms
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice he gives to school governors regarding school uniform policies which ban girls from wearing trousers. [130433]
Jacqui Smith: We have not issued guidance about school uniforms because we believe school governors should be free to decide what their school uniform or dress code policies should be.
Teachers (Performance-related Pay)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the cost is of the implementation of each part of the teachers' performance-related pay scheme; and what the current cost is of administering the scheme. [130207]
Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 12 July 2000]: We have made up to £1 billion available to support the cost of our teaching reforms in England until March 2002. Most of this extra money will be spent on the new teachers' pay system. The total cost of administering the pay reforms will be dependent upon the number of school visits carried out and this will not be known until later in 2000.
New Deal for Schools
Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list, for the latest date for which figures are available, the total value of grants made by each local education authority in England and Wales to schools, through the New Deal for Schools, for the repair of school buildings. [130209]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 12 July 2000]: The following table shows allocations made to local education authorities in England under the New Deal for Schools rounds 1 to 4. Information covering Welsh Authorities is not held by this Department.
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Further Education
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about trends in enrolment to further education in the last 12 months. [130086]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 12 July 2000]: Snapshot figures for November 1999 show that adult learners funded by the Further Education Council (FEFC) declined by 1.9 per cent. on 1998 while numbers of 16-18 year olds rose by 2.5 per cent. in the same period. The decline in adult learners reflects our squeezing out of the inappropriate franchising by some colleges allowed by the previous Government. The measures announced by the FEFC this year will help ensure that recruitment rises in line with Government projections for 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Neo-natal Hearing Screening
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what resources his Department (a) has allocated and (b) plans to allocate to develop language and educational provision in preparation for the launch and national roll-out of the pilot project for neo-natal hearing screening. [130104]
Jacqui Smith: There has been a £1.1 billion increase in education through Standard Spending Assessment (SSAs) in 2000-01. Through this, money is made available to all local education authorities (LEAs). It is for LEAs to determine how to make best use of this money and decide which services they make resources available for.
In addition in 2000-01, we have made the following increases in funding available to schools and LEAs: £500 million extra in grant to the standards fund; £50 million to support school budgets; £14 million in extra support for Excellence in Cities; and £290 million directly for schools in the March Budget. Taken together these amount to an increase in funding per pupil of £180 in real terms.
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