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Education Funding Statistics
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information she has collated on the proportion of total expenditure on (a) education, (b) higher education and (c) higher education student support met by (i) private funding, (ii) public funding in (A) each EU country, (B) the USA, (C) Australia and (D) New Zealand. [22793]
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Estelle Morris [holding answer 13 December 2001]: My Department does not collate any data regarding spending on education in other countries. Information regarding the proportion of total expenditure on education and higher education met by both private and public funding in other countries is available in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publication, "Education at a Glance", 2001 Edition (Chapter B3—Charts B3.1, B3.2, Table B3.1). A copy of this publication is to be found in the House of Commons Library (POLIS Accession Number: 944669349). No figures are published in the UK on public and private shares of expenditure on student support in these countries.
Education Funding (Worcestershire)
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the sources of funding for schools and local education authorities paid by her Department to schools and local education authorities; which of these sources of funding are available in Worcestershire; and if she will make a statement. [22909]
Mr. Timms: Sources of funding provided by the Department in 2001–02 are as listed:
- Standards Fund
School Standards Grant
Teachers' Pay Reform Grants (Threshold, Threshold Supply, Deputies' Assimilation, Leadership Group, Performance Pay Progression)
Education Budget Support Grant
Nursery Education Grant
Childcare Grant
Education Action Zone Grant
Transitional Grant (former GM Schools)
Education Maintenance Allowance
Schools Capital Grants (Basic Need—ACG, VA Schools Grant, Schools Access Initiative, New Deal for Schools).
Individual Learning Accounts
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reason the individual learning account system was not accessible by learning providers between 4.15 pm and 6.30 pm on Friday 23 November. [23107]
John Healey [holding answer 17 December 2001]: On Friday 23 November the ILA website experienced heavy traffic, with 22,481 successful hits. As a result access may have been difficult at any time. From 5.00 pm on 23 November work was carried out to enable the website to be closed at 6.30 pm. During this process access to the system was restricted.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) to ask the Secretary of State for Education, which learning providers attended the individual learning account focus group meeting at the Department for Education and Skills on 25 July; and what recommendations were made; [23113]
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- (2) what action was taken by her Department following the advice received by those attending her Department's individual learning account focus group on 25 July on the exploitation of the system. [23112]
John Healey: As part of the workshop on 25 July the specific details of the new learning provider agreement were discussed and providers were asked to comment on what additional guidance they felt would help them comply with the principles of the agreement. We also advised providers of our intent to introduce a learner leaflet to help individuals make a more informed choice about the learning they undertook.
An initial draft of new learning provider guidance incorporating, where possible, suggestions made by providers at these workshops was produced on 5 October. The final draft of this document was put on hold due to the early closure of the ILA programme. The learner leaflet was completed and from the end of August was issued to all individuals who opened an ILA.
The individuals who attended the workshop on 25 July were: Libby Woodhatch—Seafish Training Association; Tim Addison—Future Open College; Neil Eades—Best Training; Tessa Mitchell—Manor Community College; Richard Marshall—Imperial College; and Fiona Nouri—Royal College of Art.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department has written contracts with training organisations providing services to ILA holders. [23438]
John Healey: The Department does not have written contracts with training organisations providing training to ILA account holders.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many arrests have been made in connection with fraud of the Government's individual learning accounts scheme. [23548]
John Healey: 39 arrests have been made and one person has been charged in relation to allegations of fraud in connection with the operation of the individual learning account programme.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 11 December 2001, Official Report, column 814W, on individual learning accounts, if she will enable the individual learning account holders to use their accounts as soon as the system has been proofed against fraud and theft. [23583]
John Healey: Account holders will be able to pursue any legitimate learning booked before the programme closed on 23 November. However, we have now withdrawn the current ILA programme, and there are therefore no plans to reinstate access to the individual learning account system for account holders.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 11 December 2001, Official Report, column 814W, on individual learning accounts, if she will make it her policy to give such individual learning account holders priority in the new system after it is established. [23585]
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John Healey: We are developing plans for supporting adult learners which build on the successful elements of the ILA programme. It is too early to say who or what learning will be eligible for support under those plans.
Delegated Budgets
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what percentage of Leicestershire LEA's education budget was delegated to schools in the financial years (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01; and what percentage of the LEA education budget Leicestershire schools will receive in 2001–02; [23314]
- (2) what average percentage of the LEA education budget was delegated to schools in England and Wales in the financial years (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01; and what the projected figure is for 2001–02; [23313]
(3) what progress has been made in delegating LEAs' education budgets to schools in England and Wales for the year 2001–02. [23312]
Mr. Timms: The Government have set authorities in England a target in delegating percentages of the local schools budget (LSB) to schools. In 2000–01 and 2001–02, the Government's target for delegating the LSB to schools was 80 per cent. and 85 per cent. respectively; the average delegation actually achieved by LEAs was 84.2 per cent. and 86.5 per cent. Although there was no national target set in 1999–2000, the average delegation rate actually achieved by LEAs in England was 82.4 per cent. Next year, 2002–03, the national delegation target is 87 per cent. We expect authorities to reach this target, prior to the proposed introduction of the new local authority funding system in 2003–04 when we will be moving towards the publication of separate schools and LEA budgets.
From 1999–2000 to 2001–02, Leicestershire LEA achieved delegation percentages of 83.4 per cent., 84.2 per cent. and 85 per cent. respectively.
School funding in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
Education Action Zones
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what meetings she has had with Ofsted to discuss the performance of schools within education action zones. [23546]
Mr. Timms: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State holds meetings with HM Chief Inspector every four to six weeks. The performance of schools in education action zones is just one of a wide range of issues that they discuss during the course of these meetings.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what meetings she has had with Ofsted to discuss her decision to abolish education action zones. [23547]
Mr. Timms: All education action zones will complete their agreed full statutory term. Under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, EAZs had a maximum statutory term of five years.
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My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State holds meetings with HM Chief Inspector every four to six weeks to discuss a wide range of matters including education action zones.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent meetings she has had with the National Union of Teachers to discuss the performance of schools within education action zones. [23676]
Mr. Timms: My right hon. Friend and I have had no recent meetings with the National Union of Teachers to discuss the performance of schools within education action zones.
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