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Cutlass Review
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the results of the Cutlass review. [17218]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 22 November 2001]: The Cutlass review is a project of the national health service health technology assessment (HTA) programme. This programme's outputs are published in the HTA monograph series, provided they pass a rigorous scientific assessment and editorial process including external peer review. The HTA monograph series is available on the internet at no charge.
Mental Health
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investment has been made in each health authority area in respect of (a) the mental health national service framework and (b) the mental health aspects of the NHS plan. [17090]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 22 November 2001]: Details of total investment in mental health by health authority are not available. As part of the self-assessment programme, this year local implementation teams will be completing a finance mapping exercise, the details of which will be in the public domain next year. This exercise will create a baseline from which investment in future years can be monitored.
In 2002–03 an extra £75 million revenue will be allocated to health authorities; this allocation will be earmarked for mental health services to implement actions outlined in the NHS plan. By 2004, the money will have been used to improve a range of services including assertive outreach teams, crisis resolution teams and early intervention teams.
Parliamentary Questions
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the question of 1 November on respiratory disease (UIN: 12691) from the hon. Member for Cardiff, West. [19555]
Jacqui Smith: I replied to my hon. Friend today, Official Report, columns 1192–93W.
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the question of the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside, of 12 November on the future of cleft lip and palate services for the north-west region. [19831]
Jacqui Smith: I replied to my hon. Friend on 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 976W.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for Taunton on 17 July (ref: 5667) on STI-571. [19484]
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Ms Blears: I wrote to the hon. Member on 4 October.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Online Services
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of his and other Government Department's progress in meeting the Government's targets for providing services online. [19066]
Mr. Leslie: Delivery is at the heart of our agenda for transforming public services, and e-government is one of the most powerful catalysts we have for achieving that transformation. The Office of the e-Envoy produces both an annual report and regular monthly reports giving details of the progress that is being made. The next annual report will be published shortly. The latest figures on progress towards the target of making Government services available electronically by 2005 show that over 50 per cent. of Government services are e-enabled now. Departments predict that 74 per cent. of services will be e-enabled by the end of 2002.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Schools Budgets
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which categories of expenditure she proposes shall count as (a) schools budget, (b) individual schools budget and (c) local education authority budget for the purposes of implementing the Education Bill; and if she will make a statement. [19464]
Mr. Timms: The exact scope of these budgets will be defined in due course in Regulations, after further consultations. Broadly, however, we expect the schools budget to cover all expenditure for which funding is generally delegated to schools at present, along with most other expenditure relating to the cost of provision for pupils (including expenditure on school meals and out-of-school education, and most expenditure on special educational needs apart from costs relating to the carrying out of statutory assessments and the making of statements). The great majority of the schools budget will have to be delegated to individual schools through the individual schools budget, although LEAs will need to retain funding within the school budget for certain purposes, including out-of-school education and some aspects of special educational needs provision. We expect the schools forum to play a role in determining whether funding for some specified items should be delegated or centrally retained.
The LEA budget will cover those functions which cannot appropriately be carried out except at the level of the LEA. These are likely to include most functions for which funding is currently retained centrally by LEAs under the heads of Strategic Management, School Improvement and Access to Education (including
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home-to-school transport). The LEA budget will also include expenditure on LEA functions which do not relate to primary and secondary education.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will list the aggregate for England of (a) local education authority budgets for education, (b) their local schools budgets, (c) their individual schools budgets and (d) (c) as a percentage of (b), for each year since the implementation of section 46 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998; [19462]
- (2) if she will list the aggregate for England of (a) local education authority general schools budgets, (b) their potential schools budgets, (c) their aggregate schools budgets, (d) (c) as a percentage of (b) and (e) (c) as a percentage of (a), for each year from 1996 until the implementation of section 46 of the School Standards and Framework Act. [19463]
Mr. Timms: The information is as follows:
| 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) GSB | 16,437 | 16,711 | 17,549 |
| (b) PSB | 13,435 | 13,718 | 14,309 |
| (c) ASB | 12,157 | 12,438 | 12,966 |
| (d) ASB as percentage of PSB | 90.5 | 90.7 | 90.6 |
| (e) ASB as percentage of GSB | 74.0 | 74.4 | 73.9 |
| 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total education revenue expenditure | 21,290 | 21,705 | 23,418 |
| LSB | 19,508 | 20,615 | 22,292 |
| ISB | 15,760 | 16,845 | 18,446 |
| ISB as percentage of LSB | 80.8 | 81.7 | 82.7 |
School Buildings
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information is available from asset management plans on school building condition needs. [20401]
Mr. Timms: Today we are publishing information on school condition needs, based on data supplied earlier this year by local education authorities from their asset management plans. At current price levels, these plans indicate that nearly £7 billion is needed for capital works fully to maintain and repair school buildings. This is a significant level of need that has been recognised by the Government in their huge investment programme to improve school building accommodation. A total of £7.5 billion has already been made available for investment in school buildings since 1997, and a further £6.3 billion is planned over the next two financial years—the highest investment levels for 50 years. In 2003–04, funding from central Government for capital investment in schools will reach £3.5 billion, compared with only £683 million in 1996–97.
By successfully introducing asset management plans, this Government have provided LEAs with a rigorous framework for identifying and prioritising accommodation needs across schools. This has
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highlighted the size of the problem we inherited in 1997, resulting from nearly two decades of under-investment in school buildings.
A copy of the publication has today been placed in the Library.
Secondary Schools
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on progress towards the introduction of the literacy and numeracy hours into secondary school curriculum; and how this can be achieved without reduction of time for national curriculum subjects. [19473]
Mr. Timms: The Key Stage 3 strategy for raising standards for 11 to 14-year-olds does not advocate literacy or numeracy hours. The strategy will help schools improve teaching and learning in all subjects, with an emphasis on the core subjects of the national curriculum.
Head Teachers
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions she has had with representatives of head teachers' organisations. [19472]
Mr. Timms: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets representatives of the head teacher associations from time to time to discuss a range of issues. Recently, she met them with other unions on 2 July and 4 September 2001. The Secretary of State also had a meeting with the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) on 30 October.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on how performance-related pay will affect the salaries of head teachers. [19474]
Mr. Timms: School governing bodies must review their head teachers' pay each year, and may award them a point on their individual pay range if they have shown a sustained high quality of performance taking account of agreed performance objectives. Since September 2000, the award of performance pay points has been supported by special grants. The Government are consulting on the mechanism for payment of a new special grant to take effect from April 2002.
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