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21 Jul 2000 : Column: 331W

Written Answers to Questions

Friday 21 July 2000

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April have not received substantive answers, excluding those not answered citing disproportionate cost, stating that the information is (a) not available, (b) not held centrally, (c) not held in the form requested and (d) citing commercial or other confidentiality. [131234]

Mr. Wills [holding answer 20 July 2000]: Of replies to parliamentary questions tabled to the Department during the period citing commercial or other confidentiality, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 29 June 2000, Official Report, column 575W.

In addition, five replies stated that the information was not available, 27 replies stated that information was not held centrally and 20 replies stated that the information was not held in the form requested.

Holiday Absences

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions he has had with travel companies about the differential costs of holidays that encourage holiday absences in schools. [131468]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 20 July 2000]: We are engaged in on-going discussions with the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) to see what we can do together to reduce the number of family holidays taken during term time.

As a result of earlier discussions, ABTA wrote to all its members on 15 December 1999, asking them to remind parents of the implications of taking holidays in term time. ABTA members were also requested to remind parents of the importance of discussing their plans with the school before making any firm commitment.

Our recent guidance to all schools, "Social Inclusion: Pupil Support" underlines this approach. The guidance makes clear that while parents should not normally take children out of school for holidays, each request for absence should be considered individually, taking into account factors such as the time of the year proposed for the holiday and the overall attendance pattern of the pupil.

We will continue to talk to ABTA about the issue of family holidays during school term time, and to get the message across to parents that they must consider the impact of absence from school during term time on children's education.

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Public-Private Partnership Initiatives

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what money has been provided for Public-Private Partnership initiatives to all South West local education authorities in each of the last two years. [131581]

Jacqui Smith: In 1998-99, local education authorities in the South West bid successfully for a total of £4.12 million New Deal for Schools funding to support Public-Private Partnerships. In 1999-2000, South West local education authorities received £3.28 million from the same source for Public-Private Partnerships, plus £14.2 million in PFI credits for a schools Private Finance Initiative scheme.

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those schools that have received money for Public-Private Partnership initiatives in each of the last two years. [131606]

Jacqui Smith: 120 and twenty schools in 1998-99, and 230 schools in 1999-2000, are benefiting from projects supported by the Private Finance Initiative. In addition, we are supporting a number of Public-Private Partnership schemes through the New Deal for Schools, in which the following schools are benefiting:

1998-99

Canterbury High School

Foxton Primary School, Cambridgeshire

Hartsbourne JMI School, Hertfordshire

Homelands Primary School, Torquay

Weald of Kent Girl's Grammar School

Westlands Bilateral School, Torquay

1999-2000

Brays Grove School, Harlow

Collegiate High School, Blackpool

Cooper Perry Primary School, Staffordshire

Culloden Primary School, Tower Hamlets

Downview Primary School, West Sussex

East Wittering Primary School, West Sussex

Ferndown School, Dorset

Highweek Primary School, Newton Abbot

Hreod Parkway Schools, Swindon

Littlehampton Community School

Mark Hall School, Harlow

Passmores School, Harlow

Sir Graham Balfour Secondary School, Staffordshire

Stewards School, Harlow

Whitehall Junior School, Hillingdon

William Beaumont High School, Warrington.

Teachers' PRP

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out the terms of contract for external assessors under the teachers' performance- related pay scheme, with particular reference to the length of term of such contracts; and what additional costs will be incurred as a result of the High Court judgment of 14 July. [131752]

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Ms Estelle Morris: Cambridge Education Associates (CEA) have been contracted by DfEE to recruit, deploy and quality assure external assessors. In turn CEA contract with individuals to work as threshold assessors. The terms of this contract are a matter between the individual and CEA. The length of the contract depends on the individual assessor's availability to work for CEA. It is not yet clear what, if any, additional costs will be incurred as a result of the High Court Judgment of the 14 July.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the costs which will be incurred if the School Teachers' Pay Review Body recommends changes to the standards set for teachers to meet the threshold requirements under performance-related pay and all applications have to be re-submitted. [131753]

Ms Estelle Morris: The Department has asked the School Teacher Review Body to start the process of consulting formally on the threshold standards. At this time it is not possible to say whether the Review Body will recommend any changes. Therefore the Department cannot estimate the costs that will be incurred at this stage.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice he received prior to the recent court ruling on teachers' performance-related pay concerning how the (a) determination and (b) imposition of threshold standards under the teachers' performance- related pay scheme should be dealt with, with particular reference to his statutory powers. [131974]

Ms Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend receives advice as appropriate before he takes decisions.

Sheffield Education Action Zone

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the HMI report on the Sheffield Education Action Zone. [131754]

Ms Estelle Morris: Ofsted intends to publish reports on those Education Action Zones which are formally inspected. A report on the Education Action Zones in Sheffield will be published if these zones are selected for inspection.

Employment Service

Ms Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what customer service level for employers target will be set for the Employment Service in 2000-01. [132477]

Mr. Blunkett: In a first for executive agencies, I have set the Employment Service a customer service target for employers. ES is committed to working closely with employers to help them to fill their vacancies and in doing so encourage them to open up more opportunities to disadvantaged jobseekers. The setting of such a target reinforces the ES's commitment to achieving the highest standards of customer service. In addition to the challenging goals that I have already announced, the setting of a stretching but realistic target level for employer service will help the ES to achieve the high level of performance that I expect of it in 2000-01.

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I am today announcing the target level that I have set the Employment Service for 2000-01 which relates to customer service for employers.

The new target is contained in Objective C of the annual performance agreement text which follows.

PA Text

Vision and Purpose

"The Employment Service aims to make a major contributions to an efficient and flexible labour market and to the Government's objectives of high and stable employment and growth, equality of opportunity and social inclusion. ES works closely with employers and with its private, voluntary and public sector partners to provide a quality service for all people without a job and to promote employment opportunities for all who can work. It aims to attract a diverse range of vacancies and to fill those vacancies quickly by matching the right people and skills with the right jobs. Its chief priority is to help individuals facing particular difficulty in the labour market to move from welfare and economic inactivity into sustainable employment. It does this through correct application of the JSA regime, delivery of the New Deals and the pilot ONE service, and provision of appropriate information, advice, training and support. The Agency has achieved much over the past three years. The challenge and opportunity now facing it is to sustain continuous improvement in its services to jobseekers and employers and to make those services more accessible and relevant to customer needs, through effective use of modern technology and close working with a wide range of partners".

Aim

To help people without jobs to find work and employers to fill their vacancies.

Objective A

To help all people without jobs, and particularly those on welfare and at a disadvantage in the labour market, to find and keep work by providing appropriate information, advice, training and support and by encouraging employers to open more opportunities to them.

Targets

1. To help 178,000 participants in the New Deals and all Employment Zones into work, directly or in partnership with others.

2. To help 100,000 people with disabilities into work, directly or in partnership with others.

3. To help 295,000 disadvantaged jobseekers into work, directly or in partnership with others.

4. To help 735,000 people from welfare into work, directly or in partnership with others.

5. To help 1,325,000 jobless people into work, directly or in partnership with others.

Objective B

To ensure that the rights and relevant labour market responsibilities of people on JSA and other benefits are fulfilled, while helping to combat fraud and abuse of the benefit system.

Target

To ensure that the relevant labour market responsibilities of people on JSA are fulfilled in 90 per cent. of cases checked.

Objective C

To harness new technology, the pursuit of excellence and continuous improvement to deliver effective, efficient and accessible services to all people without jobs and to employers in Jobcentres and, increasingly through other locations and means of communication.

Targets

1. To achieve a 90 per cent. customer service level for jobseekers.

2. To achieve an 80 per cent. customer service level for employers.

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Milestone Targets

1. To introduce the Learning and Work Bank, new Labour Market System, touch-screen kiosks and a single national telephone number for employers by March 2001.

2. To achieve a successful transfer of Work Based Learning for Adults to ES in England by April 2001.

Objective D

To deliver services to all ES customers in a way which respects individual differences, helps to overcome disadvantages due to ethnicity, gender, age or disability and achieves the best possible outcome for each of them.

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