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Teaching Reforms
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 465W, on teaching reforms, for what periods the (a) current and (b) new special grants apply; if schools will receive permanent increases to their budgets to cover the cost of threshold pay; and if she will guarantee that no school will lose out financially when special grants for threshold pay come to an end. [19192]
Mr. Timms: There are two current teachers' pay special grants. The one for performance pay progression runs to March 2002 and will be replaced by a new performance pay special grant that runs until March 2004. The other is for threshold pay, which runs to March 2003. We will consider longer-term funding arrangements for both threshold and performance pay in the next spending review. But we fully accept that they mean a permanent increase in the cost of teachers' pay and we will take proper account of that in our financial planning.
School Funds
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she gives to local education authorities to enable them to determine the allocation of funds to schools. [19202]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 29 November 2001]: In determining the allocation of funds to schools, local education authorities (LEAs) must comply with section 47 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, and the regulations made under that section contained in the Financing of Maintained Schools Regulations 2001, which set out the school funding framework in England.
In April 2001, the DfES issued a policy note to LEAs on funding allocation, which encouraged authorities to look at ways of simplifying funding formulae.
White Paper Responses
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will summarise the responses to all consultations associated with the Education White Paper, including (a) the number of responses to each question, (b) the number and percentage supporting each provided response to each closed question, (c) a summary of the responses to open questions and (d) a list of those replying to each consultation. [19306]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 29 November 2001]: As well as the consultation on the White Paper itself, the Department launched six consultations associated with it during September 2001, covering School Governance;
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Admissions; Exclusion Appeals Panels; Early Years Education and Childcare; and 16–19 Organisation and Inspection.
Quantitative reports on the White Paper, Governance and Admissions consultations are available on the Department's website and have been placed in the Library of the House. These consultations received 2,378, 4,385 and 416 responses respectively. In general, the consultation questions met with a broadly supportive response.
The remaining consultation summaries will be made available in the same way shortly.
Faith Schools
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will place in the Library copies of representations received in connection with the Department plans for faith schools. [19200]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 29 November 2001]: Our policy of faith schools was part of the White Paper "Schools: achieving success", which was the subject of wide-scale consultation. A copy of the interim report on the consultation has been placed in the Library and the full report will be published in due course.
Publishing letters sent by members of the general public to this Department without their prior permission would represent a breach of confidentiality.
Teacher Recruitment
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list (a) the amount being paid under the additional moneys for recruitment and retention, (b) how many teacher vacancies there are and (c) the allocation of funds under the Starter Home Initiative, broken down by local education authority. [17129]
Mr. Timms: Concerning the amount being paid to each local authority under the recruitment and retention fund I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 November 2001, Official Report, column 408W. Concerning the number of teacher vacancies I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2001, Official Report, columns 59–60W. The successful bids to provide homes for key workers under the Starter Home Initiative, the total amount allocated to each bid and the areas the bid covers are contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.
Exam Results
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will make a statement on the relative examination performance of (a) faith and (b) non-faith schools since 1997; [17471]
- (2) what are the average (a) GCSE and (b) A level results for each local education authority for (i) faith and (ii) non-faith schools for (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001. [17472]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 23 November 2001]: The requested information for maintained mainstream schools is as shown.
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The percentage of 15-year-old pupils in England achieving five or more GCSE grades A*-C or the GNVC equivalent in (a) faith and (b) non-faith schools since 1997 is as follows:
| Faith schools | Non-faith schools | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 49.4 | 42.3 |
| 1998 | 50.6 | 43.6 |
| 1999 | 52.9 | 45.4 |
| 2000 | 54.5 | 46.7 |
| 2001 | 55.3 | 47.8 |
The average GCE A/AS point score per 16 to 18-year-old entered for two or more A/AS exams in (a) faith schools and (b) non-faith schools since 1997 is as follows:
| Faith schools | Non-faith schools | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 17.1 | 17.1 |
| 1998 | 17.8 | 17.6 |
| 1999 | 18.0 | 17.9 |
| 2000 | 18.2 | 18.2 |
| 2001(22) | 17.9 | 17.3 |
(22) The coverage of advanced results differs to that of previous years. The figures for 2001 are concerned with cumulative results over the last two years for 16 to 18-year-olds. The figures for 2001 are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
The LEA breakdown of this information is shown in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.
High Quality Teaching
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 7 November 2001, Official Report, column 245W, on high quality teaching, how much funding is provided to support teachers' performance pay through special grants for each local education authority; and how many teachers in each local education authority are in receipt of this funding. [18181]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 26 November 2001]: Allocations for each LEA under the new special grants for 2002 to 2004 will be made in the spring.
On threshold funding, for threshold assessments made in 2000–01, tables set out the number of full-time equivalent teachers who have passed the threshold and in respect of whom we have paid claims by LEAs. The payments made to LEAs are also listed. Copies of these tables have been placed in the Libraries.
TREASURY
Pre-Budget Report
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if table 4.3 of the pre-Budget report includes the effects of (a) income tax, (b) housing benefit withdrawal and (c) council tax benefit withdrawal; [19652]
- (2) if he will produce an amended version of table 4.3 of the pre-Budget report including the effects of withdrawal of housing benefit and council tax benefit; [19651]
(3) if he will produce an amended version of table 4.3 of the pre-Budget report including the effects of income tax. [19650]
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Dawn Primarolo: Table 4.3 of the 2001 pre-Budget report includes the effects of income tax and the withdrawal of housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Working Families Tax Credit
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Department has undertaken on the impact of working families tax credit on the levels of (a) income tax paid, (b) national insurance paid and (c)other benefits paid by recipients; and if he will make a statement. [19520]
Dawn Primarolo: As a result of working families tax credit, families in receipt and working for more than 30 hours a week now pay no net income tax if their earnings are below £265 per week. The wider impact of working families tax credit will be assessed as part of a comprehensive programme of evaluation.
International Tax Recoveries
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answers of 25 October 2001, Official Report, column 375W, and 21 November 2001, Official Report, column 360W, on international tax recoveries, how much in total the International Division of the Inland Revenue recovered in compliance cases in the tax year ending 2000 from tax payers paying at least £100 million; whether those tax payers were individuals or corporations; and what was their national domicile. [19785]
Dawn Primarolo: The total amount recovered from taxpayers paying at least £100 million was £499 million. Both taxpayers were corporate entities, who are resident in the UK.
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