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Cross-sectoral Bodies
Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the local, sub-regional and regional partnerships, boards of zones and other cross-sectoral bodies supported by his Department; and the funding streams with which they are associated. [142184]
Mr. Wills: This information is not held centrally. Recent reports point to a wide range of formal, informal, statutory and non-statutory partnerships covering a wide range of interests. As a result, the Government are trying to encourage greater rationalisation. The recently issued draft guidance on local strategic partnerships is intended to encourage the development of a single co-ordinated framework for partnership arrangements at the local level. We have also set up the Regional Co-ordination Unit. The Unit has recently published an action plan which sets out how the Government intend to modernise the way it works at regional and local level and improve the way services are delivered on the ground.
Modern Apprenticeships
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many Modern Apprenticeships there are in the engineering industry. [141696]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 11 December 2000]: On 30 June 2000 (the latest date for which figures have been published) there were 17,200 young people on Advanced Modern Apprenticeships in Engineering Manufacturing and Engineering Construction in England, accounting for 13 per cent. of those in training on all Advanced Modern Apprenticeships. For Foundation Modern Apprenticeships, there were 3,000 young people in Engineering Manufacturing in England, accounting for 4 per cent. of the total.
Classroom Assistants
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how much money has been paid in subsidies to schools to recruit classroom assistants under the New Deal; [141690]
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Ms Jowell [holding answer 11 December 2000]: The New Deal is about making people employable, through training and experience of work for example, rather than directly creating jobs. People who find jobs helped by New Deal do so in the regular labour market.
Civil Records Bureau
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received from youth organisations on the effects of having their volunteers checked by the Civil Records Bureau. [142699]
Mr. Wicks: My Department has received representations from the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services, three other national voluntary youth organisations, and one local council for Voluntary Youth Services, about proposals for the payment for checks on the suitability of volunteers to work with children and young people.
School Inspectors
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will provide statistical analysis of the professional background of those serving as school inspectors in England. [142585]
Ms Estelle Morris: Information is not held centrally about all those who undertake inspection work in schools in England. Ofsted holds information about HM Inspectors of Schools and those who are registered or enrolled to conduct or assist with inspections of schools under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996. I have asked HM Chief Inspector of Schools in England, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.
University Funding
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what overall average amount of funding per student English universities received in each of the last four years. [142587]
Mr. Wicks: The publicly planned funding per full-time equivalent higher education student in England is published annually in the departmental report for the Department of Education and Employment. The table shows the publicly
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planned funding per full-time equivalent higher education student in England, at 1999-2000 prices. Unit funding per student rounded to the nearest £5 is:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1989-90 | 7,620 |
| 1990-91 | 6,935 |
| 1991-92 | 6,585 |
| 1992-93 | 6,090 |
| 1993-94 | 5,745 |
| 1994-95 | 5,585 |
| 1995-96 | 5,335 |
| 1996-97 | 4,980 |
| 1997-98 | 4,845 |
| 1998-99 | 4,820 |
| 1999-2000 | 4,785 |
| 2000-01 | 4,750 |
The rate of decrease slowed appreciably in the last four years, and my right hon. Friend announced on 18 July that for the first time in over a decade there will be a real-terms increase in funding per student in 2001-02, which will be sustained in the following two years.
School Travel
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools in (a) London and (b) the rest of England take part in schemes to promote walking to school. [142198]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 13 December 2000]: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the Government, working with the School Travel Advisory Group (STAG), have introduced a number of initiatives to support safer routes to school, including promoting walking to school. We have also produced guidance to schools, governors and Local Education Authorities to help them put in place measures to encourage healthier, safer and more sustainable school travel.
NVQs
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will report progress on the re- accreditation of national vocational qualifications. [142296]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 13 December 2000]: There has been a 20 per cent. reduction in the number of NVQ titles since they peaked in 1997. The QCA accredits NVQs on a rolling basis and future market needs will be reflected through their re-accreditation programme.
Standards Fund
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out, for each local education authority in England for 2000-01, the amount of standards fund grant (a) contribution received from central Government, (b) contributed by the local education authority, (c) devolved directly to schools and (d) spent centrally by the local education authority in total. [142488]
Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 13 December 2000]: Nationally, the DfEE is providing £1,741 million in grant for the Standards Fund this year, and local
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education authorities are contributing £604 million. At least 75 per cent. of all Standards Fund grants must be devolved to schools.
Tables showing the contributions made by DfEE and local education authorities, on an individual local education authority level, split between revenue and capital grants, have been placed in House of Commons Library.
Figures on the precise level of Standards Fund grant which individual local education authorities have devolved to schools, and have held centrally, are not available. The LEA comparative table of budgeted expenditure, published on 29 June, shows each local education authority's level of delegated funding, including devolved Standards Fund grant. A copy of the table has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much money was paid to Cambridgeshire schools through the Standards Fund in each year since 1997-98. [142871]
Ms Estelle Morris: The following table shows payments made to, or to be made, to Cambridgeshire County Council from the Standards Fund in 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01. The figure for 1999-2000 is provisional, subject to audit. The figure for 2000-2001 is the total grant currently expected to be paid to Cambridgeshire this financial year. The figures include all grants paid through the Standards Fund payment system, excluding New Deal for Schools Capital, which is not part of the Standards Fund programme. The amount actually paid to schools will depend on local expenditure decisions by schools and the local authority.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 2,599,357 |
| 1998-99 | 3,374,197 |
| 1999-2000 | 5,365,139 |
| 2000-01 | 14,881,499 |
Rudolph Steiner Schools
Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what decision he has made on the public funding of Rudolph Steiner schools; and if he will make a statement. [142822]
Ms Estelle Morris: We are considering, in discussion with the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, what the scope might be for providing public funding to Steiner schools. No conclusions have yet been reached.
Education Policy
Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions he plans to have with (a) the Children and Young People's Unit and (b) the Minister for Youth about consulting children and young people on the development of education policy. [142825]
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Ms Estelle Morris: I attach great importance to ensuring that the views of young people are taken into account in developing education policy and assessing its impact. I shall be working closely with the Children and Young People's Unit and the Minister for Young People to ensure that good practice is shared and built upon.
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