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National Grid for Learning

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will name the successful applicants for certification under Phase Three of National Grid for Learning Managed Services. [159495]

Mr. Wills: National Grid for Learning Managed Services have helped develop a strong, health and competitive market for ICT equipment and services to education. Suppliers are proud to hold this certification and it is recognised by both suppliers and customers alike as a quality mark. The NGfL Managed Services Advisory

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Board has approved the certification of a further four companies under this the third successive year of competition, bringing the total number of suppliers certified to provide NGfL Managed Services to 22. The successful new applicants under Phase Three are:

The CSE/COMPUSYS Consortium

Education Joint IT Unit, Staffordshire county council

TEKSYS Ltd.

TINY Computers Ltd.

Commission Recommendation C(2000) 2674

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the implications of Commission Recommendation C(2000) 2674 for United Kingdom law, indicating the subsequent proposals under discussion. [158750]

Ms Jowell: Commission Recommendation C(2000) 2674 of 15 September 2000 calls on member states, which have not yet done so, to ratify the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, adopted on 17 June 1999. The UK ratified the ILO Convention on 23 March 2000.

Stockholm European Council

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 10 April, Official Report, column 575W, on the Stockholm European Council, what explanatory memoranda he has sent to the Vote or Printed Paper Offices of Parliament in respect of these documents; in respect of paragraph 9 of the Stockholm Conclusions, which body of the European Community is charged with producing a joint report on these topics; and in what manner the Government are represented on this body. [158812]

Ms Jowell: The Commission communication on the "future evolution of social protection from a long-term point of view: safe and sustainable pensions" was deposited on 27 November 2000, EM number 12793/00 (21766). The progress report of the Economic Policy Committee on

"the impact of ageing populations on public pension systems" was preparatory work for the Commission communication on

"the contribution of public finances to growth and employment: improving quality and sustainability" which was sent to European scrutiny committees 15 January 2001, EM number 5260/01. This work was subsequently taken forward for the Stockholm European Council in the form of the joint Commission and Council report which was sent to scrutiny on 19 March 2001, EM number 6997/01.

The Commission's Economic Paper 138 entitled "The economic consequences of ageing populations" is a Commission internal working document and therefore not depositable in Parliament. However, this text is accessible through the Commission's section of the European Union's "Europa" website.

Paragraph 9 of the Stockholm Conclusions calls on the Commission and the Council to produce a joint report, for the Spring European Council in 2002, on how to increase

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labour force participation and promote active ageing. The UK Government are represented as a member state of the Council of the European Union and on the various committees which will be involved in the production of this report, for example the Employment Committee.

Oxford and Cambridge Universities

(Admissions)

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make it his policy to require Oxford and Cambridge universities to publish annually in a standardised format information on admissions, disaggregated by college, in respect of previous educational establishment categorised by (a) private schools, (b) state grammar schools, (c) comprehensive schools, formerly grant maintained, (d) other comprehensive schools, (e) sixth form colleges and (f) other further education colleges. [158034]

Mr. Wicks [holding answer 25 April 2001]: The Secretary of State does not have any plans to require Oxford or Cambridge to publish admissions data. Oxford and Cambridge already publish data on applications and admissions which I referred to in my reply on 3 April 2001, Official Report, column 124W. Both institutions are aware of the need to continue to review and improve both their admissions procedures and the information which they make publicly available and we look forward to further progress as a result.

Student Loans

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will accept the recommendation in the report, Student Mobility on the Map, a copy of which has been sent to him, that United Kingdom students studying abroad should have comparable access to student loans to that available to United Kingdom domestic students. [158877]

Mr. Wicks [holding answer 26 April 2001]: Financial support is available to UK domiciled students studying abroad as part of a higher education course undertaken at an institution in the UK, through student loans and European programmes such as SOCRATES-ERASMUS. We have no plans to change these policies, which already recognise the benefits of student mobility.

Vocational A Levels

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of pupils gained a grade A to E in the first unit of the vocational A level examination in the current year. [158851]

Mr. Wicks [holding answer 26 April 2001]: The results of the unit tests of the Vocational A level qualification are not graded. They are not qualifications in their own right.

Beacon Colleges

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the beacon colleges, indicating how much money each has received from the Standards Fund. [158999]

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Mr. Wicks [holding answer 26 April 2001]: Fifteen colleges have been awarded Beacon status. They are Bishop Burton College, Blackpool and The Fylde College, Carmel College, Greenhead College, Havering College of Further and Higher Education, John Leggott Sixth Form College, Knowsley Community College, Lewisham College, North Lindsey College, Northern College for Residential Adult Education, Park Lane College, Sir John Deane's College, South Cheshire College, St. Charles Catholic Sixth Form College and Tameside College. Every Beacon College is eligible for £50,000 from the Standards Fund to help them promote and disseminate examples of good practice.

Internet Access

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the local authorities which have implemented the New Opportunities Fund internet access programme. [158873]

Mr. Wills [holding answer 26 April 2001]: All local education authorities (LEAs) in England have implemented the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) programme. A significant proportion of schools in every LEA have now registered with ICT training providers approved by NOF, and the number of LEAs where a majority of schools have registered is increasing rapidly.

New Deal

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of those people who have left the New Deal since its inception have obtained unsubsidised employment lasting for at least six months. [158844]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 26 April 2001]: Over 279,000 young people had moved into work by the end of January 2001, 247,840 into unsubsidised jobs. We do not have figures for the length of time each of these jobs lasts but any job can offer considerable benefits to the participant through increased self-confidence and useful work experience. There is no doubt that New Deal is having a positive impact: independent research by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research concluded that without New Deal youth unemployment would be twice as high.

SCOTLAND

Special Advisers

Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many special advisers are employed by (a) her and (b) the Minister of State; and what the total annual cost was of these advisers for each Minister. [154253]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 19 March 2001]: I have two special advisers and the Minister of State has none. As both advisers joined only in February 2001 no annual cost is yet available.

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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Special Advisers (Overseas Visits)

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions between 5 June 2000 and 31 March 2001 (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity. [158547]

Mr. Lock: The Lord Chancellor's Department has one special adviser who has never travelled aborad in an official capacity.

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