| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
School Funding (Havering)
Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding per pupil was provided to grant maintained schools in the London borough of Havering in the year immediately prior to the end of grant maintained status; and what funding per pupil these schools have received in the current financial year. [6549]
Mr. Timms: In the financial year 1998–99, the grant-maintained (GM) schools in the London borough of Havering, all of which were secondary schools, received recurrent funding from the former Funding Agency for Schools (FAS) amounting on average to £2,690 per pupil. For the financial year 2001–02, the most closely comparable figure currently available in respect of these schools is £3,120 per pupil. The figures have been calculated to the nearest £10 on the basis of pupil numbers from the annual schools' census for January 1998 and January 2001.
The calculations for 1998–99 are based on financial information supplied to the Department by FAS. The figures include annual maintenance grant together with special purpose grants for development, GNVQ, premises insurance, and the purchase of books, but not other special purpose grants or capital grants. Where the schools' annual maintenance grant included an element to compensate the schools for their inability to reclaim VAT, appropriate adjustments have been made to reflect this.
The calculations for 2001–02 are based on information from the budget statement published by the local education authority under section 52 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, supplemented and updated (in the case of specific grants) by information separately provided by the LEA. The figures include the schools' budget shares (including school standards grant), and standards fund resources devolved to the schools (but excluding capital grants, and other grants relating to school security and the National Grid for Learning).
In 1998–99, under arrangements specific to the GM sector, the GM schools in Havering received formula capital allocations from FAS amounting on average to £32 per pupil. Under the NDS devolved formula capital arrangements which apply to all schools, the Havering ex-GM schools' allocations for 2001–02 amount on average to £29 per pupil; these figures are rounded to the nearest pound.
Veterinary Medicine
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places to study veterinary medicine will be available in England and Wales in (a) 2001, (b) 2005 and (c) 2010. [6557]
Margaret Hodge: We do not have forecasts of the number of veterinary science places for 2001, 2005 or 2010.
The current number of students (December 2000) is as follows:
| Veterinary science students | Number |
|---|---|
| Postgraduate (PG) | |
| Full-time | 200 |
| Part-time | 100 |
| Undergraduate (UG) | |
| Full-time | 2,100 |
| Part-time | 50 |
| Total | 2,500 |
Note:
Figures do not sum due to rounding. Figures are normally rounded to the nearest 1,000 students, but in this case have been rounded to the nearest 50, as figures are so small.
Source:
December 2000 HESA student record
16 Oct 2001 : Column: 1180W
Our public higher education student number projections only go as far ahead as 2002–03 at present. Furthermore, these projections do not contain a breakdown by type of course studied.
Broadband Network
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to extend the broadband network to schools and universities; and over what time period. [6608]
John Healey [holding answer 15 October 2001]: The Government have allocated around £80 million between 2000–02 on providing schools with broadband access. The money is allocated through regional broadband consortia (RBCs) and local education authorities (LEAs), who have been commissioned to provide cost-effective and co-ordinated broadband internet connectivity at 2 Mbits or faster to 20 per cent. of schools in their region, including all secondary schools, by August 2002. The Government intend to increase the number of schools with a broadband connection beyond the current target of 20 per cent. of all schools in future years.
Universities have had a broadband network for many years, called the Joint Academic Network (JANET). The network not only connects all universities, but also all colleges of further and higher education, and research centres.
Curriculum 2000
Mr. Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance has been issued to universities about Curriculum 2000. [6641]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Last month, the Department, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and partner organisations jointly published a revised edition of a booklet "Changes to Post-16 Qualifications" on Curriculum 2000 for higher education institutions. The booklet was distributed to all UCAS members' institutions and copies have been placed in the Library.
Further Education
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) employment practices and (b) colleges there are in the further education sector; and what implications these figures have for consistency on pay rates for the same role. [6670]
Margaret Hodge: There are 428 colleges in the further education sector in England: the Department does not collect information on their employment practices.
16 Oct 2001 : Column: 1181W
Further education colleges are run by independent corporations, established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Each FE corporation is responsible for the pay and terms and conditions of its staff. There is no national pay agreement in the FE sector but there is a national recommended pay award determined by a joint union/employer negotiating forum.
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consideration she has given to nationally agreed pay scales in the further education sector. [6671]
Margaret Hodge: FE sector colleges are run by independent corporations, established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The terms and conditions of the staff that work in FE are a matter for the employers to determine, in discussion with the relevant unions. The Government play no part in these discussions but have encouraged employers and unions to discuss the scope for modernising pay and conditions under the FE Teaching Pay Initiative.
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff there were in further education in each of the last five years. [6672]
John Healey: The information requested is contained in the table.
| Thousands | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Full-time | Part-time | Total staff(14) |
| 1995–96 | 99.1 | 117.7 | 216.7 |
| 1996–97 | 96.3 | 121.8 | 218.1 |
| 1997–98 | 94.3 | 135.0 | 229.3 |
| 1998–99 | 93.8 | 137.0 | 230.8 |
| 1999–2000 | 95.0 | 134.9 | 229.9 |
(14) Numbers may not sum exactly due to rounding
The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) collected and published information on staff in the FE sector on an annual basis. The responsibilities of the FEFC have now been taken over by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Information on staff is taken from the Staff Individualised Record (SIR), which covers teaching staff, staff who support teaching and learning and other support staff. The SIR covers FE sector colleges in England only.
SIR data for the whole year were collected from all colleges for the first time in July 1995, relating to the 1994–95 college year. This collection has been repeated annually since then; the latest data available are for 1999–2000.
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many further education colleges were categorised by the FEFC as financially weak in each of the last three years. [6679]
John Healey: The numbers of further education colleges categorised by the FEFC as financially weak in each of the last three years are:
- 1998: 80 colleges
- 1999: 65 colleges
16 Oct 2001 : Column: 1182W
Margaret Hodge: Pay and conditions are matters for college corporations to determine. The Learning and Skills Council will work closely with individual category C colleges—that is, those colleges that are financially weak—to produce action plans aimed at addressing the causes of the college's financial difficulties. We are determined to work with the LSC and the individual colleges to improve the quality of all colleges to the standard of the best. Where appropriate, and as part of the agreed action plan, the LSC is able to provide additional financial support and flexibility to colleges that are financially weak.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |