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Examination Boards
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent communications she has had from (a) the Edexcel examination board and (b) the QCA about (i) that board's history A-level (syllabus code 9267) marking in 2001, (ii) that board's handling of parents' and examinees' complaints about examination marking and administration and (iii) that board's handling of schools' complaints about examination marking and administration. [31093]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no communications from Edexcel or QCA about History A-level (syllabus code 9267) marking in 2001. The QCA is responsible for maintaining all awarding bodies' performance in the delivery of examinations. The authority will be publishing its audit of Edexcel's performance in the delivery of general qualifications in 2001 in the near future.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many complaints and appeals were lodged with the Edexcel examinations board relating to the A-level history (syllabus code 9267) examination in each of the last five years. [31095]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I am advised that the number of complaints and appeals lodged with Edexcel relating to the A-level history (syllabus code 9267) in each of the last five years was as follows.
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| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| Complaints | |
| 1997 | 5 |
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | 8 |
| 2000 | 9 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| Appeals | |
| Stage 1 inquiries | |
| 1997 | (34)— |
| 1998 | 6 |
| 1999 | 8 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| Stage 2 appeals hearings | |
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1998 | (35)1 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | (35)1 |
| 2001 | (36)1 |
(34) No information.
(35) Not upheld
(36) Pending
Source:
These figures have been provided by the Edexcel Foundation
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what performance targets she sets and performance standards she expects of examination boards; when they were last reviewed; and what monitoring procedures are in place. [31096]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government introduced statutory arrangements in 1997 to regulate external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Details of how the regulatory authorities ensure quality and consistent standards are contained in the document: "Arrangements for the statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland" (published 2000).
Awarding body procedures are governed by codes of practice, issued by the regulatory authorities. General codes of practice are supplemented by codes for each qualification type. All are reviewed regularly.
To support further improvements in awarding body performance, the regulatory authorities plan to publish specific performance targets, building on proposals in the Curriculum 2000 review report.
The regulatory authorities' regular monitoring of awarding bodies includes: audits of their management and systems of quality assurance and control; detailed scrutinies of individual subjects and the way these are managed; and an extensive programme to monitor compliance with the codes of practice.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average time taken by each examination board to handle appeals and requests for re-marking was in the last 12 months. [31097]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has set targets for the awarding bodies to meet all requests for remarking and appeals and QCA monitors annually the awarding bodies' performance against the targets. The data for 2001 are not available at this stage, as the remarking and appeals process is not yet complete.
28 Jan 2002 : Column 134W
FE Colleges
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the implications for FE colleges of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [31117]
John Healey: The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 exempted educational institutions from its provisions. The DDA was amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 to include all FE sector colleges within its provisions.
The Government intend to implement the new duties in three stages:
- From 1 September 2002 it will be unlawful for FE colleges to discriminate against disabled students by treating them less favourably than others. In addition, FE colleges will have a duty to provide reasonable adjustments to provision where disabled students might otherwise be substantially disadvantaged.
From 1 September 2003 FE colleges will have a duty to make adjustments involving the provision of auxiliary aids and services.
From 1 September 2005 FE colleges will have a duty to make adjustments to physical features of premises where these put disabled students at a substantial disadvantage.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to change the proportion of own resources further education colleges have to find for large capital projects. [31118]
John Healey: Funding for large further education capital projects is provided by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and it is a matter for the LSC what percentage of the cost of a project has to be found by the college itself.
The percentage varies according to the circumstances and type of application which the college makes to the LSC and in some instances colleges are not required to use any of their own resources.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will review the levels of auditing and evaluation to which FE is subject to. [31119]
John Healey: The Department is committed to reducing the burdens faced by the FE sector. In consultation with the Department for Education and Skills, the Learning and Skills Council is reviewing the audit burden on FE colleges and the LSC is drawing up measures to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. John Harwood, Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council, recently announced the setting up of a task force headed by Sir George Sweeney, Principal of Knowsley college, to carry out a national inquiry into bureaucracy in colleges. However, while looking to reduce the burden on FE sector, it is vital to ensure that the interests of learners and of taxpayers in the FE budget, worth more than £4 billion, are protected and that proper and effective systems audit and control are in place. In addition, the Department is currently working to reduce the number of funding lines for FE sector for next year, including a
28 Jan 2002 : Column 135W
radical simplification of the Standards Fund. This will enable the LSC to simplify its own approach to funding colleges.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on how schools are marking Holocaust Memorial Day. [31154]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Home Office is the Government Department with responsibility for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2002. It is working with a number of Government Departments and organisations on the preparations for the day. The Department for Education and Skills is a strong supporter of the day.
This Department produced an education pack for all schools to support last year's Holocaust Memorial Day. Nearly 40,000 packs were sent out. New resources for schools to commemorate the day in 2002 have been developed which compliment last year's education pack. This year's resources—in the form of 12 flashcards—reflect the theme of Britain and the Holocaust. The cards highlight case studies of individuals affected by the Holocaust. Schools will be using this material in assemblies, in the classroom, and through exhibitions for their schools and their communities.
The resources have been produced by an education working group of experts on the Holocaust, racism, and education, from bodies such as the Wiener Library, the Imperial War Museum, the Holocaust Education Trust and the London Jewish Culture Centre. I am grateful for their continued support and dedication to this work.
HEALTH
Performance Ratings
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS trusts given a zero star rating in the 2000–01 NHS performance ratings. [31568]
Mr. Milburn: I shall be making an announcement shortly.
Hospital Waiting Lists (Essex)
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list each month since March 1997 when in-patient waiting lists in the mid Essex hospital trust area have been lower than in March 1997. [29777]
Mr. Hutton: The number of patients waiting at mid Essex hospital services NHS trust increased from 5,835 in March 1996 to 8,391 at the quarter ending March 1997. The waiting list has been higher than this each quarter or month since that period. At the end of November 2001, (the most recent data available) the number of patients on the waiting list was 8,787. This is 396 greater than March 1997 but 3,047 lower than the highest peak in the waiting list at June 1998.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects in-patient waiting lists in the mid Essex hospital trust area to fall below the level of March 1997. [29778]
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Mr. Hutton: Mid Essex hospital services national health service trust achieved its waiting list targets for 2000–01 and is well on target to achieve its targets for the end of March 2002.
The trust has been following Government guidelines to reduce the length of wait of those on the waiting list and has robust delivery plans in place to treat patients waiting over 15 months by the end of March 2002.
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