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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

IT Training

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students qualified for (a) computer literacy and information technology--CLAIT and (b) European computerised driving licence--ECDL--in each of the past three years; and what are the comparable qualification rates in other European Union countries. [138343]

Mr. Wicks [holding answer 15 November 2000]: The information requested is not held centrally in the Department because these qualifications are not currently regulated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. In the future, once accreditation of vocationally related qualifications by the QCA is complete, it should become available. Comparison figures in other EU countries are not available.

School Inspections

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what guidance is being provided for inspectors on indicators of race equality in schools; [138876]

(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that school inspectors who are required to inspect provision for English as an additional language are given appropriate training; [138878]

(3) if he will make it his policy to ensure that racial awareness training is mandatory for all school inspectors; and if he will make a statement. [138877]

Ms Estelle Morris: These are matters for HM Chief Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Learning Accounts

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many individual learning accounts have been taken out; and what percentage are being supplemented by an employer. [139051]

Mr. Wicks: Over 430,000 Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) have been opened to date. Information on employer contributions is not collected routinely but

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information will be available as part of the evaluation strategy. Initial results, through a survey of ILA holders, will be available in the spring.

Sixth Forms

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those local education authorities which have (a) funded, (b) partially funded and (c) not funded the cost to schools with sixth forms of implementing the new sixth form curriculum. [139070]

Mr. Wicks [holding answer 17 November 2000]: £35 million was provided within the education SSA for 2000-01 for this purpose. Details of the way in which individual LEA funding formulae distributed this sum to schools are not collected centrally.

Co-financing Organisations

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the timetable for the creation of co-financing organisations; and if he will make a statement. [139124]

Ms Jowell: Our consultation document "The European Social Fund: proposals for co-financing in England" proposes that Government Offices should be able to start channelling ESF money through co-financing organisations (CFOs) from 1 September 2001 onwards, once the latter are ready to start operating as CFOs. We shall consider carefully partners' views on that proposal before publishing a firm timetable.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the effects of co-financing organisations on the distribution of ESGF Objective 3 grants to small specialist training providers. [139128]

Ms Jowell: The Objective 3 operational programme for 2000-06 sets out the planned spending by policy field and the indicative financial allocations for each measure. The introduction of co-financing will not affect those spending plans or indicative allocations. We expect that voluntary and community-sector providers will often be well placed to secure ESF money, because they are close to local communities and able to deliver innovative programmes. We expect co-financing to be of great benefit to all providers, and especially those in the voluntary and community sectors.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the terms of reference and remits for the proposed co-financing organisations that will take over the administration of the UK ESF Objective 3 programme. [139129]

Ms Jowell: We do not envisage that co-financing organisations (CFOs) will take over all that administration. Rather, our consultation document "The European Social Fund: proposals for co-financing in England" proposes that prospective CFOs would apply to the Government Office and regional Programme Monitoring Committee for ESF funding. Such applications would be assessed in line with criteria that the Government Office would set out. CFOs would channel both ESF money and the required match funding to providers in a single funding stream. We are seeking the views of partner organisations on how CFOs might best carry out that role.

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Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what his policy is on recognising non statutory, not for profit organisations as co-financing organisations for the distribution of ESF Objective 3. [139130]

Ms Jowell: The consultation document "The European Social Fund: proposals for co-financing in England" proposes criteria that Government Offices and regional Programme Monitoring Committees would use to decide whether a body should become a co-financing organisation (CFO). The criteria will need to be fair and clear, to remain appropriate over time, and to promote consistency in decision-making within and between regions. We shall consider partners' views on the proposed criteria carefully.

Special Educational Needs

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the arrangements for the inspection of special educational needs in mainstream schools and special schools, with particular reference to (a) the specific focus on these issues at an inspection, (b) the specific expertise of the inspectors and (c) their ability to evaluate diagnostic as well as remedial factors among the pupils. [139169]

Ms Estelle Morris: This is a matter for HM Chief Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

New Deal (Monmouth)

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in the Monmouth constituency are on the New Deal (a) for young people and (b) for 50 plus. [139275]

Ms Jowell: Latest figures show that in the Monmouth constituency 89 young people were on the New Deal at the end of August 2000. We cannot currently provide the figures requested for New Deal 50 plus, as these are available only nationally and at a regional level.

British Educational Communications and

Technology Agency

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to announce the quinquennial review of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. [139835]

Mr. Wills: In accordance with the Government's policy of conducting quinquennial reviews of all non-departmental public bodies, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive, is today beginning a review of the British

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Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta). Following Cabinet Office guidelines, the terms of reference for the first stage of the review will be:

to review the role and functions of Becta as outlined in its remit letter, the efficiency and effectiveness with which they have been carried out and how these functions contribute to the delivery of wider DfEE and Government objectives;

to consider the likely need for these functions in the future and whether there is a need for any reduction or expansion in the functions undertaken by Becta;

to consider what Becta's customers and other interested parties think about its role, performance and responsiveness to their needs;

to consider whether continued NDPB status is the best way of delivering these functions or whether some, or all, of the functions could be delivered more efficiently and effectively within an alternative organisational framework, including by another private, public or voluntary body or otherwise within Government; and

to consider the powers, remit, objectives and status of Becta and the membership and role of the Board.

We should welcome comments on those matters to be covered by the review from all those with an interest in the work of Becta. Comments, which may be made public unless respondents specifically request otherwise, should be sent by 29 January 2001 to:

Angela Archer

Department for Education and Employment

Level 3C

Caxton House

6-12 Tothill Street

London SW1H 9NA

Or by e-mail to:

[e-mail]

We have asked that this first stage of the review should be completed by the end of March 2001.

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