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Trainee Teachers

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many trainee teachers (a) have been and (b) will be trained through the employment-based training route in each year from 2000–01 to 2004–05. [3368]

Mr. Timms: During 2000–01, 1,507 people entered the graduate teacher programme; 91 entered the registered teacher programme and 281 entered the overseas trained teachers scheme.

The Government do not set targets for the number of people entering the graduate teacher programme, the registered teacher programme or the overseas trained teachers scheme. However, my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced on 12 March this year an extra 570 places on the graduate teacher programme that will bring the total, in due course, to 2,250 a year.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of the trainee teachers undertaking the employment-based training route are from (a) the United Kingdom, (b) European Union countries and (c) other countries, indicating in each case where appropriate which subjects they are training to teach; and if she will make a statement. [3369]

Mr. Timms: Information on the nationality of trainee teachers undertaking the employment-based training routes is not collected centrally.

University Grants

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate the level of funding required if university grants had been maintained at their final level in (a) real terms and (b) actual terms for each of the years (i) 1998–99, (ii) 1999–2000, (iii) 2000–01 and (iv) 2001–02. [3317]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 10 July 2001]: If undergraduates normally resident in England and Wales currently funded under the new student support regulations had been offered a package of grants plus loans for maintenance similar to that available in 1997–98 we estimate the additional cost to the Department over the four years 1998–99 to 2001–02 to be as given in the following table.

Additional funding required if maintenance grants had been maintained at their 1997–98 level

		£ million
	In cash	On a resource basis
In real terms
1998–99	50	100
1999–2000	150	380
2000–01	230	630
2001–02	280	790
In cash terms
1998–99	50	100
1999–2000	140	360
2000–01	210	590
2001–02	250	710

Note:

These figures assume that contributions towards fees would be unaffected.

11 Jul 2001 : Column: 554W

Departmental Title Change Costs

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the total cost of (a) design, (b) stationery, (c) new name plaques and (d) other costs of the naming of her Department; and if she will make a statement. [3033]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 10 July 2001]: Estimates for the cost of design, stationery, new name plaques and other costs of the naming of the Department for Education and Skills are as follows:

	£
Design of marque	14,705
Stationery	(22)12,632
New name plaques	(23)5,300
Other costs including Branding guidelines, web development and registration	23,420

⁽²²⁾ Production and initial stock

⁽²³⁾ 18 signs on five HQ sites

This has been carried out as economically and efficiently as possible. I believe that the connection with our customers via the identity is very important. Therefore we have chosen a clear, simple expression of what we do to help the public understand how our work affects them.

University Staff

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many academic staff, by university, left positions between 1 January and 30 March, who would have been included in the research assessment exercise submission had they been in post on 31 March; and if she will make a statement. [3316]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 10 July 2001]: These figures are not available. However, the Higher Education Funding Council for England are analysing the research assessment exercise returns and expect to be able to provide this information by the end of August.

Student Support

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support is available for intercalating students; and if she will make a statement. [3319]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 10 July 2001]: Under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2001, full-time students who are absent from their course because of illness are entitled to continue to receive student support for the first 60 days of absence. Before academic year 1998–99 this was only 28 days. Local education authorities have the discretion to decide whether such students should continue to receive support after the first 60 days absence.

Students who remain ill for more than a period of 28 weeks may become eligible at that stage to receive income support and housing benefit. Local education authorities have the discretion to continue support to sick students waiting to receive income support.

11 Jul 2001 : Column: 555W

LEAs also have a discretion under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2001 to continue paying student support to students who temporarily suspend their courses for reasons other than illness.

We have made it clear in our guidance that local education authorities should exercise their discretion sympathetically in considering the cases of intercalation which come to them. Among the factors they must consider in coming to a decision is the possibility of financial hardship.

Students who temporarily suspend their courses may also receive assistance from the hardship fund at their institution's discretion. The hardship fund allows universities and colleges to provide discretionary support

11 Jul 2001 : Column: 556W

for students in particular need; and a total of £87 million has been made available in England for the 2000–01 academic year.

Modern Languages

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 3 July 2001, Official Report, column 81W, on modern languages, how many GCSE and A-level passes, in each of the language categories and years, were obtained by students at (a) independent and (b) state schools. [2836]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The number of GCSE and A-level passes, in each of the language categories and years, obtained by students in (a) independent and (b) state schools are shown in the following table.

	GCSE					GCE A-level
	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
	(a) Independent schools
Urdu	380	435	439	508	728	56	105	23	85	113
Bengali	35	36	38	37	36	—	1	2	—	2
Gujarati	87	111	97	93	136	—	—	—	—	—
Hindi	—	—	—	—	—	3	6	4	1	—
Chinese	1,243	1,283	1,203	1,112	1,277	750	677	825	888	961
Any modern language	46,211	44,501	42,202	41,538	41,876	9,505	9,510	9,310	9,240	8,711
	(b) State schools
Urdu	5,617	5,661	5,525	5,732	5,722	231	240	182	205	226
Bengali	1,939	2,061	2,011	2,056	1,967	30	26	36	9	15
Gujarati	1,015	1,043	832	1,009	1,017	—	—	—	—	—
Hindi	—	—	—	—	—	14	3	3	3	—
Chinese	493	574	546	596	593	59	72	87	107	133
Any modern language	391,440	388,408	408,264	421,523	425,546	13,890	13,687	13,499	13,048	11,825

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students obtained GCSE and A-level examinations in (a) Urdu, (b) Bengali, (c) Gujerati, (d) Hindi, (e) Mandarin, (f) Cantonese and (g) modern languages in each of the last five years. [1299]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [pursuant to his reply, 3 July 2001, c. 81W]: The table contained an error. The corrected table is given as follows.

The number of students of all ages who obtained GCSE and GCE A-level passes in the various languages over the last five years are shown in the table. Figures for Mandarin and Cantonese are not available, data for Chinese as a whole have been provided instead.

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
GCSE
(a) Urdu	6,658	6,660	6,370	6,497	6,677
(b) Bengali	2,116	2,220	2,146	2,152	2,041
(c) Gujerati	1,313	1,309	1,026	1,189	1,200
(d) Hindi	—	—	—	—	—
(e) (f) Chinese	1,956	2,048	1,937	1,917	2,028
(g) All modern languages	450,244	444,639	460,186	472,010	476,050
GCE A-level
(a) Urdu	833	837	591	746	725
(b) Bengali	99	98	108	37	53
(c) Gujerati	—	—	—	—	—
(d) Hindi	31	19	13	8	—
(e) (f) Chinese	972	887	1,074	1,165	1,225
(g) All modern languages	32,937	32,340	31,298	30,224	27,455

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