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Performance-related Pay (Wales)

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teachers in Wales have not handed in the application form for performance-related pay. [154553]

Ms Estelle Morris: The final deadline for teachers in Wales to hand in their threshold application forms has not yet passed, so we do not currently know how many will, or will not, hand in application forms.

Specialist Schools (Norfolk)

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many specialist schools (a) have been and (b) are planned to be established in Norfolk. [154645]

Ms Estelle Morris: There are 10 specialist schools in Norfolk: six Technology Colleges, two Sports Colleges, one Arts College and one Sports College. So far as plans are concerned, it is for individual schools in Norfolk to decide whether it is appropriate to make a specialist school application.

Foot and Mouth

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what contingency arrangements he has made for (a) the conduct of public examinations and (b) the assessment of coursework (i) related to land use and (ii) of a more general nature, on account of the current foot and mouth disease situation. [154677]

Mr. Wicks: The Department is liaising closely with the awarding bodies on the impact of the foot and mouth emergency on public examinations. The awarding bodies have already announced that where students are unable to travel to their schools and colleges to complete assessments/examinations because of MAFF restrictions, special consideration arrangements will apply and candidates will be considered for aegrotat awards. The awarding bodies have also announced that they will agree to alternative arrangements where students are unable to complete fieldwork and coursework assignments because of restrictions on access to land. Both announcements have been placed on the awarding bodies' websites. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Class Sizes (Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each primary

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school in Shrewsbury and Atcham the number of classes containing over 30 pupils on (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [154701]

Ms Estelle Morris: Information on class sizes at individual schools is not normally published. However, in January 1997 20.1 per cent. of Key Stage 1 classes in Shrewsbury and Atcham had 31 or more pupils. By September 2000 the figure was zero. In January 1997 42 per cent. of the Key Stage 2 classes in the constituency had 31 or more pupils. By January 2000 the figure had dropped to 25.7 per cent. The size of the average Key Stage 2 class in the constituency fell over this period from 28.7 to 27.3.

We are delivering our infant class size pledge, including in Shropshire. The local education authority has received £3.6 million to support the initiative, and had met the 30 limit in full as early as September 2000. At the same time, the size of the average Key Stage 2 class in the Authority fell from 29.1 in January 1997 to 28.3 in January 2000. Primary headteachers will receive an average £24,000 in direct funding in 2001-02 to spend as they choose--including on reducing class sizes further if that is a priority.

Labour Statistics (Hendon)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many adult long-term unemployed there are in Hendon; and how many there were in May 1997. [154733]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 20 March 2001]: As at 8 February 2001 there were 762 people in the constituency of Hendon, aged 18 or over, unemployed for six months or more and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. The comparable figure as at May 1997 was 1792.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many long-term young unemployed there are in Hendon; how many there were in May 1997; how many have benefited from each of the New Deal options; and if he will make a statement. [154734]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 20 March 2001]: As at 8 February 2001 there were 84 people in the constituency of Hendon aged 18-24, unemployed for six months or more and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. The comparable figure as at May 1997 was 309.

Since the start of the New Deal for Young People in April 1998, 19 have started the employment option; 159 the Full Time Education and Training option; 32 the Voluntary Sector option; and 9 the Environment Taskforce option in Hendon as at the end of December 2000.

Departmental Policies (Norwich, North)

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Norwich, North constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [151143]

Mr. Wills: Details of the effects of a range of the Department's policies on the Norwich, North constituency and on Norwich LEA have been placed in the Library.

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SOCIAL SECURITY

Insurance

Mr. Swinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the cost of insurance incurred by his Department was to cover its buildings and employees in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000 and (d) 2000-01 in Scotland. [154443]

Mr. Rooker [holding answer 20 March 2001]: On 1 April 1998 all of the Department's buildings in Scotland were transferred under the PRIME contract to the private sector consortium Trillium. The insurance cover of the buildings is now a matter for Trillium.

Prior to 1 April 1998, the insurance charges for any sites the Department occupied under a lease would have been paid by landlords and where appropriate passed on to the Department via the service charge. Details of the cost of this to the Department in 1997-98 are not available. Additionally, all departmental buildings owned by the Department were covered by Crown Indemnity and the Department was not required to provide any insurance cover for these buildings.

The principles of Crown Indemnity apply equally to all forms of compulsory insurance. The Department is therefore exempt from providing any insurance cover for its employees.

Minimum Income Guarantee

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in Wales (a) have applied for and (b) receive the Minimum Income Guarantee. [154549]

Mr. Rooker: Between April 2000 and January 2001, 26,802 pensioners have applied for the Minimum Income Guarantee in Wales. There are approximately 97,000 pensioners receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee in Wales.








Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in Wales are eligible for the Minimum Income Guarantee. [154550]

Mr. Rooker: The information we hold is as follows.

There are approximately 97,000 pensioners receiving Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) in Wales.





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Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in London are (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of the Minimum Income Guarantee. [154171]

Mr. Rooker: The information we hold is as follows.

There are approximately 207,000 pensioners receiving Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) in London.








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