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Access Funding

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much each higher education institution paid out to students in access funding in 1998-99; and how many individual payments by each institution exceeded £1,000. [132905]

Mr. Wicks: This information is collected by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. I have asked the Council to respond directly to the hon. Member.

Teachers (North Yorkshire)

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teachers were employed in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in North Yorkshire local education authority in each year since 1990. [132902]

Ms Estelle Morris: The non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire was reorganised at 1 April 1996 to form the unitary authority of City of York and the smaller non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire. The full- time equivalent of teachers employed on the third Thursday in January in each year from 1990 in North Yorkshire are as shown.

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January	Nursery/primary	Secondary	Total
1990	2,600	3,000	5,600
1991	2,700	2,900	5,700
1992	2,800	3,000	5,800
1993	2,800	3,100	6,000
1994	2,800	3,000	5,800
1995	2,800	3,000	5,800
1996	2,900	3,100	6,000
1997(1)	2,200	2,400	4,600
1998	2,200	2,400	4,600
1999	2,200	2,500	4,700
2000	2,300	2,600	4,900

⁽¹⁾ From 1997 the figures exclude the unitary authority of City of York.

Note:

Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum to component parts because of rounding.

There has been a growth of 6,900 full-time equivalent regular teachers in the maintained school sector in England between January 1998 and January 2000.

The answer includes teachers in occasional service (short-term supply) on the survey date, teachers on secondment for a period of a term or more and unqualified teachers.

Primary Schools (Swimming)

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on compliance by primary schools with the requirements of the national curriculum in connection with swimming and on the trend in the estimated proportion of those at Key Stage 2 who can swim 25 m. [132907]

Jacqui Smith: The National Curriculum entitles all children to learn to swim unaided for a distance of 25 m by the time they leave primary school. In 1999, 82.99 per cent. of pupils were able to swim 25 m by the end of Key Stage 2, according to preliminary findings of an Ofsted report on swimming at Key Stage 2 to be published in the autumn. In 98 per cent. of observed lessons pupils made satisfactory progress or better.

Female Genital Mutilation

Ms McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans his Department has to produce supplementary guidance to the document entitled, "Working Together to Safeguard Children", on female genital mutilation. [132941]

Jacqui Smith: We have no plans to produce any supplementary guidance to "Working Together to Safeguard Children" on female genital mutilation. The guidance in this document clearly sets out the action to be taken by a local authority if it has reason to believe a child is at risk from abuse, including female genital mutilation.

Merchant Navy Day

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will ensure that the Red Ensign is flown from departmental buildings on Merchant Navy Day, 3 September. [132956]

Mr. Wills: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for the Home Department.

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Duty Roster

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the roster for ministerial duties in his Department from 29 July to 22 October. [133050]

Mr. Wills: It is not normal practice of Government to publish the daily ministerial duty roster. This Department will ensure that it has sufficient cover through the summer adjournment in line with the requirements of the ministerial code.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Judicial Appointments

Angela Smith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answers of 12 April 2000, Official Report, columns 222-23W and 5 June 2000, Official Report, columns 149-51W, on judges, when he will make a further announcement on part-time judicial appointments to tribunals. [133763]

Jane Kennedy: Following the earlier announcements about new arrangements for a number of part-time judicial appointments, similar arrangements have now been put in place for an additional range of part-time tribunal appointments for which the Lord Chancellor is jointly or solely responsible and for appointments made by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to Employment Tribunals.

These changes will come into effect immediately.

The Lord Chancellor is placing in the Libraries of both Houses joint statements signed by himself and/or the Secretary of State and by the Lord Chief Justice covering the following fixed-term appointments to Tribunals:

Lord Chancellor

Part-time Chairmen of Employment Tribunals

Part-time Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of the Copyright Tribunal

The "appointed person" to hear appeals under the Trade Marks Act 1994

Reinstatement Committees and Umpires

Part-time members of the Restrictive Practices Court

Chairmen and ordinary members of the Reserved Forces Appeal Tribunals

Part-time Chairmen of the Plant Varieties and Seeds Tribunal

Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

Part-time lay members of the Employment Appeal Tribunal

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

Part-time members of the Employment Tribunals.

Immigration Appellate Authorities

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultation has taken place about new procedure rules for appeals to the immigration appellate authorities; and when the new rules will be laid before Parliament. [133732]

Jane Kennedy: A paper highlighting the main issues was laid before Parliament during the passage of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Recently, a wide range of users across the United Kingdom, and the

27 Jul 2000 : Column: 871W

Council on Tribunals, were consulted about draft new rules. Changes are being made following that exercise. A cross section of users has been kept closely in touch throughout development of the rules and that dialogue is continuing. Once this consultation is over, the rules will be laid during the Recess.

Merchant Navy Day

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will ensure that the Red Ensign is flown from departmental buildings on Merchant Navy Day, 3 September. [132961]

Mr. Lock: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department today, Official Report, column 895W.

Lawyers

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will assess the recent report published in Commercial Lawyer on the recruitment and promotion of lawyers in relation to his policy on equal opportunities in the judicial system. [132823]

Mr. Lock: The report concerns a survey of newly made partners in solicitors firms. The Lord Chancellor has made it clear on many occasions that he wishes to appoint judges from the widest possible field of candidates and, in particular, he encourages women and ethnic minority lawyers to apply. But he can only appoint from among those in the legal profession who are suitably qualified and who apply. Therefore the Government support the legal profession in the work it is doing to ensure that there are equal opportunities for all those who wish to pursue careers in the law.

Court Dress

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent assessment he has made of the balance of opinion on the issue of changing court dress. [133134]

Mr. Lock: The Lord Chancellor has made no such assessment. He will discuss changes in court dress with the higher judiciary later this year. However, given the many important and pressing issues relating to reform of the justice system that the Government are addressing, changing court dress is unlikely to have a high priority in his Department's programme of work.

PFI Contracts

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in how many of his Department's PFI contracts KPMG has been an adviser. [132861]

Jane Kennedy: The Lord Chancellor's Department has not used KPMG as an adviser on any of its PFI contracts nor have they worked as advisers on any local authority sponsored magistrates' courts PFI contracts supported by the Department.

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