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Special Advisers and Press Officers
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers were employed (i) full-time, (ii) part-time and (iii) on a contract basis by his Department in each year since 1992. [6905]
Mr. Leslie: The information is not held in the form requested and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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All special advisers are appointed under the terms of the model contract for special advisers. At 1 November 2001, there were 81 special advisers in post across all Departments. Figures for the years since 1995–96 are as follows:
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 38 |
| 1996–97 | 38 |
| 1997–98 | 70 |
| 1998–99 | 74 |
| 1999–2000 | 78 |
| 2000–01 | 79 |
Information about the number of press officers working in the Cabinet Office Press Office for the period from 1996–97 to 1998–99 is contained in Appendix 10 of the Report on the Government Information and Communication Service by the Public Administration Select Committee dated 29 July 1998. Copies of the report are available in the Libraries of the House. On 1 January 2000, there were 20 press officers in the Cabinet Office Press Office; at 1 January 2001, there were 16, and there are currently 18.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Children and Young People Strategy
Mr. Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will publish the consultation document on the Government's new strategy for children and young people. [16829]
Mr. Denham: When the Prime Minister set up the Children and Young People's Unit last year he asked it to develop and articulate a new overarching strategy for all children and young people.
Today, the Government are launching "Building a Strategy for Children and Young People: A consultation document" which sets out the Government's plans for a new vision and principles for the development of services for all children and young people, on which future Government investments will be based.
Full copies of the consultation pack are available in the Library.
Investors in People (Buckingham)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which companies located in the Buckingham constituency received Investors in People awards in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01. [14909]
John Healey: The information requested is not collected on a constituency basis.
Companies recognised as Investors in People in the town of Buckingham are as follows.
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| Year | Company |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Royal Latin School |
| Hempton Fields, Nursing Home | |
| 1998–99 | Fraser Associates plc |
| Buckingham Middle School | |
| Buckingham School (London Road) | |
| 1999–2000 | Assembly Technology and Test Ltd. |
| Royal Latin School | |
| Hempton Fields, Nursing Home | |
| 2000–01 | Page Hall Infants School |
Class Sizes
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on average class sizes in secondary schools in Buckinghamshire local education authority in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01. [15768]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Average class size | ||
|---|---|---|
| January each year | Buckinghamshire LEA | England |
| 1998 | 21.0 | 21.7 |
| 1999 | 21.6 | 21.9 |
| 2000 | 22.2 | 22.0 |
| 2001 | 21.6 | 22.0 |
(22) Classes taught by one teacher.
The average size of a secondary class in Buckinghamshire is below the national average and improved in January 2001 after rising for the last two years.
Statemented Pupils
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the expenditure on statemented pupils in the last five years was in (a) Durham and (b) England excluding pupils in special schools. [16257]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Specialist Schools
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will publish the guidance for schools advising them how to apply for specialist school status in maths and computing; and what the core aims at such specialist schools will be. [16561]
Mr. Timms: Guidance setting out the criteria for specialist school applications in mathematics and computing has been published and is available to interested schools on request or by accessing the DfES website at http://www.dfee.gov.uk/specschl/. As for other specialist schools, the aims of Mathematics and Computing Colleges are to: raise standards of achievement, particularly in the specialist subjects, for all pupils; extend the range of opportunities available to students which best meet their needs and interests; raise standards of teaching and learning
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in the specialist subjects; develop within the schools characteristics which signal their changed ethos; benefit other schools and the wider community and strengthen the links between schools and private or charitable sector sponsors.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) name, (b) character, (c) date of designation, (d) agreed targets for each year within the period of designation and (e) unmet targets to date are of each designated specialist school or college in
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(i) West Berkshire, (ii) Hounslow, (iii) Oxfordshire, (iv) Wandsworth, (v) Hillingdon, (vi) Cornwall, (vii) Camden, (viii) Milton Keynes, (ix) Wokingham, (x) Hackney, (xi) Dorset and (xii) Bournemouth. [16759]
Mr. Timms: The information on the names of specialist schools, their character and the year in which they were designated as specialist schools in each of the named authorities is given in the following table. Information on the targets agreed with each school and targets which have not been met cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
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