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Pupil Funding

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list, for each English local education authority, (a) the amount spent per primary pupil, (b) the amount spent per secondary pupil and (c) the amount spent per primary pupil as a percentage of the amount per secondary pupil for each of the past three years. [145029]

Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 18 January 2001]: The information on funding per pupil is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

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These figures are based on education Standard Spending Assessments combined with central Government grant. They demonstrate a trend showing gradual convergence between overall primary and secondary funding. It is, of course, for each local education authority ultimately to decide the balance between primary and secondary funding for its schools.

Under this Government, funding per pupil has already increased by over £300 in real terms, and it will increase by a further £150 per pupil for 2001-02. Under the last Government, funding per pupil fell by £60 in real terms between 1994-95 and 1997-98. There will be further increases in funding following the year 2000 spending review: a further £370 per pupil over the three year period, taking the total increase to nearly £700 between 1997-98 and 2003-04.

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the cost of ministerial travel was (a) within the UK and (b) outside the UK for his Department for each of the last three years. [147232]

Mr. Wills [holding answer 25 January 2001]: The cost of overseas travel by Ministers in this Department for the last three financial years is as follows:




These costs were included in the figures on Ministers visits overseas published by the Prime Minister on 28 July 2000, Official Report, column 969W. Travel within the United Kingdom is undertaken by a variety of means--car, rail and air. Information on the cost of such travel is not held centrally. All travel complied with the requirements of the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

Child Minders

Mr. Rowe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will broaden the criteria for the registration of child minders to enable nightworkers and lone parents working unsocial hours to benefit from the Working Families Tax Credit. [147422]

Ms Hodge: All working parents, subject to their income, are eligible to receive Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC). The Childcare Tax Credit (CTC) element of WFTC can meet up to 70 per cent. of eligible child care costs.

WFTC helps with the cost of overnight care where it is done by a child care provider who is registered under the Children Act. But we recognise that some parents, with certain working hours or particular needs, have little option except to employ child care providers who fall outside the eligible arrangements. We are looking at the scope to extend access to the CTC for these groups and what quality assurance arrangements would be appropriate.

Correspondence

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the Minister with

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responsibility for School Standards will reply to the hon. Member for Hertsmere's letter of November 2000, concerning teacher recruitment. [147471]

Ms Estelle Morris: The reply to the hon. Member's letter has been issued today.

Acquired Brain Injury

Ms Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what support his Department offers to people with acquired brain injury; [147957]

Ms Hodge: The Employment Service provides a range of services which support people with acquired brain injury. It provides a network of Disability Employment Advisers, who, in addition to providing advice about job opportunities, act as the gateway to specialist programmes aimed at securing a return to work. One of these is Work Preparation, for which the Employment Service contracts with local providers who deliver flexible programmes tailored to the needs of each individual. Other measures which can be used to help people with acquired brain injury are the Access to Work Programme and the Job Introduction Scheme.

Ms Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance he gives to local authorities in Greater Manchester on support for vocational rehabilitation for individuals with acquired brain injury. [147959]

Ms Hodge: My Department does not give any guidance to local authorities. Support for vocational rehabilitation, including support for those with acquired brain injury, is provided by the Employment Service, which contracts with various providers to deliver services to meet local needs.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Romania

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish the exit strategy report produced by her Department concerning the Romania Information Centre. [147211]

Clare Short: The report entitled "Romanian Information Centre--Appraisal Report" produced by an independent consultant and funded by my Department will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which non-governmental organisations and charities her Department supports in Romania. [147210]

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Clare Short: At present, my Department is providing support to the following non-governmental organisations and charities in Romania:



India

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the Indian Government concerning the treatment of religious minorities in India. [147215]

Clare Short: I recently visited Madhya Pradesh and discussed this issue with the Chief Minister. On my previous visits to India I discussed the issue with Federal Ministers in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. UK development assistance to India is targeted on poor people. Ethnic and religious minorities tend to be disproportionately poor. Our efforts are focused on improving their livelihoods and respect for their rights.

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the meetings she attended with Indian Government officials during her recent visit to India. [147214]

Clare Short: In Delhi, I met the Union Ministers for Finance, Mr. Yashwant Sinha; for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C. P. Thakur; and for Power, Mr. Suresh Prabhu. In Madhya Pradesh, I met the Chief Minister,

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Mr. Digvijay Singh and the Minister of Finance, Col. Ajay Mushran, as well as the Chief Secretary, Mr. K. S. Sharma, and other senior officials.

Departmental Surveys

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list for (a) 1992-93, (b) 1993-94, (c) 1994-95, (d) 1995-96, (e) 1996-97, (f) 1997-98, (g) 1998-99, (h) 1999-2000 and (i) 2000-01, (I) her Department's total spending on quantitative and qualitative surveys of policy issues by focus groups, opinion polling, task forces or other means and (II) the cost of each individual project. [146592]

Clare Short: We carry out regular monitoring of public attitudes to development in order to inform and monitor the impact of the public education work of the Department.

The details requested are as follows: a study of public attitudes was undertaken in 1997-98 at a cost of £43,000; there was no expenditure on surveys in 1998-99; and further studies costing a total of around £45,000 were undertaken in 1999-2000.

These consisted of: a general public attitudes survey costing £28,200; a schoolchildren's attitudes survey costing £14,700; and a readership survey of "Developments" magazine costing £1,804.

In financial year 2000-01 we have undertaken a general public opinion study costing £33,000. A schoolchildren's survey is currently under way at an estimated cost of £9,800. The results of all these surveys are available on the DFID website.

We do not hold information on any surveys carried out between 1992-93 and 1996-97.

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