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Sudan

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on food security in southern Sudan for the next six months. [11159]

Clare Short: It is harvest time now in southern Sudan. Present indications for the next six months throughout most of the area look better than in some previous years. We will continue to monitor needs and respond accordingly.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to visit southern Sudan. [11158]

Clare Short: I am considering a visit to Sudan if it will help encourage progress towards peace.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Individual Learning Accounts

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many companies have registered to be learning providers under the Individual Learning Account scheme. [9685]

John Healey: In England, 8,504 learning providers are currently registered with the Individual Learning Account Centre.

Specialist Schools

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the proportion of state secondary schools which will be specialist schools by the end of 2003; and if she will make a statement. [11475]

Mr. Timms: By September 2003 we expect there to be at least 1,000 operational specialist schools. This will take the proportion of maintained secondary schools which have specialist designation to 32 per cent. By 2005 we plan for at least 46 per cent. of secondary schools to have specialist status. Over time we want to ensure that all

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maintained secondary schools which want to and are ready have the opportunity to become a specialist school as part of their strategy for school improvement.

Post-16 Students

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements have been made to ensure that schools with post-16 students do not lose income as a result of the Learning and Skills Council taking control of funding in 2002. [8846]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Energy Efficiency Week

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action her Department took in recognition of Energy Efficiency Week. [11511]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 30 October 2001, Official Report, column 592W. As Energy Efficiency Week was aimed primarily at domestic energy use, and its environmental impact, no additional action was taken in recognition of the week. The Department does, of course, have a well-established and on-going commitment to energy efficiency across all its activities.

Communities Projects

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department plans to take to ensure community access is maximised in respect of wired up communities projects. [11207]

John Healey: We are piloting the wired up communities initiative in 14,000 households in seven areas across England, including inner city, rural and coalfield communities. An evaluation report on this pilot phase is due to be published in spring 2002. Findings will be carefully considered before any decisions are made on how best to maximise community access to ICT. However, our existing policies also mean that by the end of 2002 there will be 6,000 UK online centres—including 3,000 public libraries—operating across England to provide widespread community access to ICT facilities.

School Performance

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what percentage of students achieved five A to C grades at GCSE in each local education authority in England in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001; and what the percentage change in performance was in each case; [10936]

(2) if she will list the schools in England where the percentage of students achieving fewer than five grades A to C was less than 25 per cent. in 2001; and for each school, (a) the percentage change in performance compared with 2000 and (b) the local education authority in which the school was situated. [10937]

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Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department will publish 2001 GCSE (and GNVQ equivalent) results for each local education authority in England in a statistical first release on 20 November and data for schools in England in the secondary school performance tables on 22 November. I will then write to my hon. Friend with the information he seeks and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Export Credits Guarantee Department

12. Mr. McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the changes which have taken place within the export credit guarantee arrangements in the last four years. [9560]

Nigel Griffiths: The role of the Export Credits Guarantee Department, the UK's official export credit agency, was recently reviewed. Work on implementing the findings of the Mission and Status Review Report, presented to Parliament in July 2000, is currently well under way.

The Review strongly reaffirmed ECGD's primary role in bringing economic benefit to the UK by helping UK exporters and investors to win valuable business abroad.

It also set out an important agenda for change to ensure that ECGD works to help Government meet their international objectives, including those of sustainable development, human rights and good governance.

Energy Needs

14. Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her Department's submission to the performance and innovation unit's review of future energy needs. [9563]

Mr. Wilson: My Department submitted an initial contribution to the PIU's Energy Policy Review on 1 August. The submission represented officials' preliminary analysis of some of the key issues that PIU will need to consider during their review. Its purpose was to stimulate debate about energy policy issues.

Fixed Term Contracts Directive

15. Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy on implementation of the EU fixed term contracts directive. [9564]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government held a public consultation early this year on the implementation of the fixed term directive and the responses received are currently being considered. The directive is due to be implemented by 10 July 2002.

Equal Pay

16. Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department is taking to reduce the pay gap between men and women. [9565]

Ms Hewitt: Denise Kingsmill's review of Women's Employment and Pay will be reporting very shortly, and we look forward to discussing her findings at a December conference. Government Departments are reviewing their

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pay systems and we are promoting action in local government. The Equal Opportunity Commission's model for voluntary pay reviews will also soon be available.

Universities and Business

17. Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to encourage co-operation between universities and the business community. [9566]

Ms Hewitt: The Government's "Excellence and Opportunity" White Paper, published last July, set out a comprehensive range of actions to strengthen links between business and universities. Over £100 million has recently been awarded to Higher Education Institutions under these measures.

Sole Trader Businesses

18. Ms Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what help she makes available for a person who wishes to start a business as a sole trader. [9568]

Nigel Griffiths: This Government are committed to promoting enterprise across society by increasing the number and quality of business start-ups.

This is focused at a local level through the Small Business Service's Business Link network, which provides a comprehensive package of tailored high quality business support to meet the needs of all small businesses in their areas, including to those starting a business as a sole trader.

Anti-discrimination Legislation

19. Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will introduce anti-discrimination legislation required by the EU directives. [9569]

Ms Hewitt: We shall introduce new anti-discrimination legislation in time to meet the deadlines which we agreed in the Employment Directive: namely, 2003 for sexual orientation and religion; and 2006 for age.

I am considering with colleagues across Government how best to introduce legislation on these issues while fulfilling our commitments on existing legislation on race, disability and sex discrimination. We shall publish a consultation document about our plans for new legislation within the next three months.

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