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Early Years Excellence
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, (1) pursuant to her answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 539W, what criteria were used in deciding which new early excellence centres should be designated; [16600]
- (2) pursuant to her answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 539W, if she will consider the proposal from Somerford Infant School as part of the next batch of early excellence centres designated; [16601]
(3) pursuant to her answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 539W, if she will list those applicants who have been invited to develop their plans further; [16602]
(4) pursuant to her answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 539W, on early years excellence, on what grounds the proposal for a centre at Somerford Infant School was considered not yet ready to join the programme; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the Government's response to the proposal and details of its invitation to the school to develop its plans further; [16603]
(5) pursuant to her answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 539W, on early years excellence, how many expressions of interest there were in joining the early excellence centres programme. [16604]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 20 November 2001]: Criteria and detailed requirements for joining the Early Excellence Centre (EEC) programme are set out in guidance issued by the Department. Guidance issued in
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February provided the framework for designations made so far this year. Additional guidance was issued on 5 October. The core activities of the programme which all centres are expected to deliver, or have well advanced and convincing plans to develop, remain unchanged and are as follows:
- good quality integrated early education and daycare for children 0 to five requiring centre-based extended-day and extended-year provision;
parental and carer involvement in the education and care of children, eg schemes for family learning, developing parenting skills, raising parents' expectations and in other ways;
support services for children and parents and carers of children, eg health, counselling and information services, home support, drop-in facilities;
effective early identification and intervention for children in need and children with special educational needs, with a view to improving children's prospects and, wherever appropriate, achieving inclusion in mainstream provision;
access to adult education and training by parents of young children and other adults, including those seeking skills and qualifications for employment;
raising standards of integrated early years provision among other early years providers, including voluntary and private providers, childminders and other carers, by contributing to the training and development strategy of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and through the development and dissemination of good practice.
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The Department received 135 expressions of interest following the issue of the February guidance and 14 new centres were announced on 1 October. Officials are continuing to work closely with a further nine centres in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wigan, Peterborough, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Bury, on the basis of expressions of interest received in response to the February guidance. A further 93 expressions of interest in joining the programme have been received since additional guidance was issued in October.
Somerford Infant School's expression of interest in the EEC programme was submitted in response to the guidance issued in February. It was closely linked to emerging local proposals for the development of a Neighbourhood Nursery, but did not meet the requirements set out in the guidance for joint Neighbourhood Nursery/Early Excellence Centre schemes. Neither did it provide sufficient coverage of the core activities or relate them sufficiently well to the wider strategy of the EYCDP.
The Department wrote to the school inviting it to develop its plans further. I have placed a copy of that letter in the Library. The additional guidance issued in October indicates that those invited to do further development work should submit a fresh expression of interest taking into account feedback received. The guidance included full contact details for relevant officials at the Department and encouraged partners to make contact with them for further information.
The Department has not received a further expression of interest from Somerford Infant School. To continue to develop its interest in the programme the school should contact officials at the Department who will be most willing to discuss it with them.
Fast-Track Teacher Recruitment
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which company was awarded the contract to run the Fast-Track Teacher Recruitment Scheme; what the cost and duration of the contract is; what the agreed recruitment targets for each year of the contract were; how the company was chosen; and what the criteria are for success and best value. [16698]
Mr. Timms: Following a competitive tender exercise the contract for assessing Fast-Track applicants was let to a consortium headed by Interactive Skills on 2 October 2000. The cost of the contract in Financial Year 2000–01 was £2,375,081. The contract covers a three-year period, with an option for a two-year extension. Selection is done against standards and not to quota. Main criteria for success are delivery to time and within budget of: (i) a high quality multi-stage selection process which will successfully identify those applicants who meet the competencies and values laid down in the Education (School Teachers' Pay and Conditions) (No.7) Order 2001; (ii) relevant application brochures, website, forms and guidance to a high professional standard; (iii) a cycle of continuous review and improvement in efficiency and effectiveness of the activities of the consortium.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost was for each existing fast-track student of recruiting them to the Fast-Track Teacher Recruitment scheme; and what the total cost was for students recruited through the programme. [16697]
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Mr. Timms: The Department for Education and Skills spent £4.6 million on the Fast-Track Programme in the last financial year 2000–01, the first year of its existence. This long-term investment supported (i) a national recruitment campaign which raised public awareness of the programme, established a credible presence at the upper end of the highly competitive graduate recruitment market, and attracted 1,574 applications; (ii) the design, development and implementation of a very high quality assessment and selection process which resulted in the offer of 135 places in the first round to potential future leaders of the profession; and (iii) the initial cost of setting-up enhanced Fast-Track Initial Teacher Training.
Online Centres
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many UK online centres in each constituency are to be funded by level 3 Capital Modernisation Fund; [10757]
- (2) when she will provide an answer to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Cambridge on 24 October about the number of UK online centres in each constituency. [16838]
John Healey: A table showing the UK online centres to be funded by the third phase of the Capital Modernisation Fund by constituency has been placed in the Library.
The total of UK online centres funded by the third phase will produce a further 1,116 centres across England, covering 63 per cent. of constituencies throughout England.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Attendance Allowance
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has held with the Scottish Executive concerning continued payment of attendance allowance to those recipients who will become eligible for free personal care in Scotland from April 2002. [9742]
Maria Eagle: My right hon. Friend discussed this matter with the Scottish First Minister on a number of occasions.
ONE Pilot Scheme
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of cases of violence against staff working in the ONE pilot offices. [14039]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: From June 1999 to date, there were five cases of physical assault on members of our staff.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many payments by absent parents have been written off as irrecoverable in the last 12 months; what the average and upper decile value of such payments are; and how many payments are in the upper decile. [14360]
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Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 20 November 2001:
- I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.
- Mr. Smith is unavailable and therefore I am writing to you on his behalf.
- You asked how many payments by Non resident parents have been written off as irrecoverable by the Child Support Agency in the last 12 months.
- The Child Support Agency does not write off child support maintenance debt. Section 30 of the Child Support Act 1991 allows the Secretary of State to decide when and how to collect and enforce maintenance but it does not allow him to dissolve that debt.
- I hope this is helpful.
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