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Hilda Murrell
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects West Mercia Constabulary to be informed of the DNA test results by the Forensic Science Service in the case of Hilda Murrell; and if he will make a statement. [154270]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 23 March 2001]: I understand that the Forensic Science Service anticipate the results of the current round of DNA tests in the case of Hilda Murrell by the week beginning 23 April, and the West Mercia Constabulary will be informed shortly thereafter.
Special Constables (Wales)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) funded and (b) actual specials were in post in each of the Welsh constabularies on (i) 31 March 1997 and (ii) the latest date for which figures are available. [154803]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 22 March 2001]: The Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate collect police personnel statistics, including those of the Special Constabulary.
There are no national targets for specials and each of the Welsh constabularies has advised that it does not differentiate between funded and actual specials. The Special Constabulary strength figures for the Welsh constabularies for 31 March 1997 and 30 September 2000 (the latest figures available) are given in the table.
| March 1997 | September 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dyfed Powys | 283 | 193 |
| Gwent | 157 | 131 |
| North Wales | 341 | 233 |
| South Wales | 361 | 254 |
Rural Parishes
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of rural parishes do not have a police station. [153132]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Information on the number of rural parishes which do not have a police station is not held centrally.
Refrigerants
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the Home Office building at 50 Queen Anne's Gate uses hydrofluorocarbons for (a) refrigeration and (b) air conditioning; what amounts of hydrofluorocarbons have been purchased in each year since 1995; and what plans he has to phase out the (i) purchase and (ii) use of hydrofluorocarbons. [153020]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 9 March 2001]: Hydrofluorocarbons are used in domestic fridges at tea
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points and freezer cabinets and fridges in the staff restaurant area. They are also used as refrigerants in the air-conditioning systems.
Figures supplied by our maintenance contractor on the purchase of hydrofluorocarbons are:
- 2000--10 kg
- 2001--840 kg.
Our policy is that hydrofluorocarbons should be used only where other safe, technically feasible, cost effective and environmentally acceptable alternatives do not exist.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is regarding the purchase of (a) hydrocarbons and (b) other environmentally benign refrigerants to meet all the refrigeration and other energy needs of buildings and premises (i) owned and (ii) leased by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [153019]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 9 March 2001]: The Home Office does not have a specific policy on the purchase of hydrocarbons. However, my Department's policy is to ensure that no products are purchased which contain chlorofluorocarbons and--except where existing systems cannot be easily converted--no hydrochlorofluoro- carbons, halons, carbon tetrachloride, 111 trichloroethane or any other ozone-depleting substances. The policy also states that hydrofluorocarbons should only be used where other safe, technically feasible, cost effective and environmentally acceptable alternatives do not exist.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which buildings and premises (a) owned and (b) leased by his Department use (i) chlorofluorocarbons and (ii) hydrochlorofluorocarbons for refrigeration and other energy needs; and if he will give details of such use and the reasons for it. [153016]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 9 March 2001]: Information on the use of chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons is not recorded centrally. My Department's policy is to ensure that we do not purchase any products which use chlorofluorocarbons and, except where existing systems cannot be easily converted, hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
After-school and Holiday Clubs (Northern Region)
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) after school clubs and (b) holiday play scheme places there were in the Northern Region in (i) 1996 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available. [155010]
Ms Hodge: The available information on out-of-school clubs 1 and holiday scheme places in the North East region is as follows.
In March 1996 there were 70 out of school clubs providing 2,267 places and 143 holiday schemes providing 3,784 places.
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In March 2000 there were 200 out of school clubs providing 6,615 places and 692 holiday schemes providing 26,541 places 2 .
- 1 Data on after school clubs are not available separately. The data on out-of-school clubs include before and after school clubs.
- 2 Holiday scheme figures prior to 1998 may not be directly comparable to 2000 because of changes in the instructions given to providers for recording places in 1999.
Child Care Tax Credit
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions he has had with Treasury Ministers about the extension of the Child Care Tax Credit to cover formal child care in the home; and if he will make a statement. [154565]
Ms Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the Budget recently that the Government are considering this matter, in particular to help families who may need care in the home because they are shiftworkers or have children with disabilities. I keep in close touch with my hon. Friend the Paymaster General on this issue.
Departmental Policies (Manchester, Gorton)
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effects on the Manchester, Gorton constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 22 November 2000. [154503]
Mr. Wills: Outlined are details of the effects of a range of the Department's policies on the Manchester, Gorton constituency and the Manchester LEA.
This paragraph updates the information on EIC which was provided in November 2000.
Manchester was designated an Excellence in Cities area in Phase 1 of the programme. The Partnership covers all 23 secondary schools in the city. The partnership now has:
- 21 Learning Support Units;
- Three Beacon schools and one specialist school approved under the Excellence in Cities programme;
- Six clusters of secondary schools working together to support gifted and talented pupils;
- 65 Learning Mentors all of whom have had local and national training;
- Three City Learning Centres operating with a fourth to open later this year;
- One small Education Action Zone operating from September 2000 and a further two are to start in September.
Manchester is also included in the Excellence Challenge programme with planning to be completed by June 2001 for implementation in September 2001.
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Funding per pupil
In Manchester LEA, funding per pupil has increased by £610 in real terms between 1997-98 and 2000-01.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 2001-02 | |
| ACG | 9,946 |
| VA grant | 4,002 |
| Science labs | 221 |
| Access at 85 per cent. | 465 |
| Security | 100 |
| Seed challenge | 297 |
| NDS condition funding | 1,157 |
| NDS devolved formula capital | 1,630 |
Student numbers at all FEFC funded institutions where home postcode is in the local authority district of Manchester.
| 1999-2000 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | Part-time | |
| FEFC funded | ||
| 16-18 | 5,393 | 1,800 |
| Adult | 3,643 | 24,838 |
| Non-FEFC funded | ||
| 16-18 | 163 | 723 |
| Adult | 642 | 1,722 |
Since 22 November 2000, we know of 13 starts on Modern Apprenticeships (seven on Foundation Modern Apprenticeships and six on Advanced Modern Apprenticeships) in the Gorton constituency (as at 31 December 2000).
For comparison, known starts on Modern Apprenticeships for the period 2 May 1997 to 21 November 2000, broken down by financial year, are:
| Financial year | Foundation Modern Apprenticeships(22) | Advanced Modern Apprenticeships(23) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 0 | 85 | 85 |
| 1998-99 | 42 | 111 | 153 |
| 1999-2000 | 112 | 144 | 256 |
| 2000-01(24) | 117 | 107 | 224 |
| Total | 271 | 447 | 718 |
(22) Foundation Modern Apprenticeships, formerly known as National Traineeships, were introduced nationally in September 1997.
(23) Advanced Modern Apprenticeships, formerly known as Modern Apprenticeships, were introduced nationally in September 1995.
(24) To 21 November 2000.
Notes:
1. The Trainee Database System (TDS), from which these data are taken, is less complete than Management Information supplied by the Department by Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) (around 95 per cent.).
2. In addition, the postcode information on the TDS, from which parliamentary constituency data are compiled, are 95 per cent. complete.
3. TEC Management Information does not provide information at parliamentary constituency level.
4. Data for the period 21 November to 31 December 2000 may be less than 95 per cent. complete due to some notifications of training starts not yet being received from TECs.
Source:
WBTYP trainee database
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In the Gorton constituency, 1,968 young people have joined the New Deal to end December 2000. 843 have found jobs, 604 of which are sustained.
The working age employment rate in Manchester in autumn 2000 was 60.4 per cent., below the UK rate of 74.7 per cent. The rate in autumn 1997 was 55.8 per cent.
The claimant unemployment rate has fallen from 25.0 per cent. in February 1997 to 13.0 per cent. in February 2001 in the Gorton constituency.
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