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EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Pre-school Education

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many three-year-olds attended Government-funded pre-school education in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000 in the Falmouth and Camborne constituency. [26200]

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many three-year-olds attended Government-funded pre-school education in Chesham and Amersham in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000. [27122]

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Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many three-year-olds attended Government-funded pre-school education in the Uxbridge constituency in each of the last four years. [27266]

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested. Figures for other maintained 1 and private, voluntary and independent providers are not collected at parliamentary constituency level.

The available information on children taking up free early education places at:



In each local education authority area in England in each year from 1997 to 2001 is shown in a table on the Department's statistical website. The table "Numbers of 3 and 4-year-olds taking up free early education places: 1997–2001" can be found at www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics/ DB/SBU/b0300/index.html.


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Learning and Skills Council

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which town each local learning

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and skills council is headquartered; and what are its estimated accommodation costs in the first year. [28853]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 21 January 2002]: The information requested is provided in the table:

Local Learning and Skills Council HeadquartersEstimated accommodation costs 2001–02 (£)
Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, BuckinghamshireAbingdon323,002
BerkshireReading838,510
SurreyWoking277,595
Kent and MedwayWest Malling568,594
SussexBrighton512,319
Hampshire and Isle of WightFareham (with a satellite office at Newport)315,627
CumbriaWorkington113,457
LancashirePreston206,244
Greater ManchesterManchester653,217
Greater MerseysideLiverpool459,512
Cheshire and WarringtonMiddlewich174,698
ShropshireTelford79,725
StaffordshireStoke-on-Trent191,818
The Black CountryOldbury243,183
Birmingham and SolihullBirmingham343,077
Coventry and WarwickshireCoventry411,763
Herefordshire and WorcestershireWorcester218,681
GloucestershireGloucester191,996
Wiltshire and SwindonSwindon346,451
West of EnglandBristol389,939
SomersetTaunton156,667
Bournemouth, Dorset and PooleBournemouth235,090
Devon and CornwallPlymouth (with a satellite office at Truro)401,508
NorthumberlandCramlington102,649
Tyne and WearGateshead246,110
County DurhamNewton Aycliffe108,536
Tees ValleyMiddlesbrough226,700
North YorkshireYork166,638
West YorkshireBradford497,038
South YorkshireSheffield294,884
HumbersideHull222,278
DerbyshireDerby183,933
NottinghamshireNottingham228,112
LincolnshireLincoln139,598
LeicestershireLeicester275,107
NorthamptonshireNorthampton300,122
NorfolkNorwich299,536
CambridgeshirePeterborough253,971
SuffolkIpswich155,001
Bedfordshire and LutonBedford153,928
HertfordshireSt. Albans1,046,283
EssexChelmsford433,871
London WestHounslow806,022
London CentralLondon785,035
London NorthPalmers Green500,260
London EastStratford751,167
London SouthCroydon374,542

Note:

Accommodation costs include annual rent and rates (including rate rebates), annual service charge and property insurance. In some cases final information is not yet available and costs have been estimated.

Source:

Learning and Skills Council


Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total external spend by her Department was on Private Finance Initiative consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement. [31032]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The following table details the external spend by the Department on Private Finance Initiative Consultants in each of the last four years.

£

23 January 1998 to 24 January 199923 January 1999 to 24 January 200023 January 2000 to 24 January 200123 January 2001 to 24 January 2002
Total spend on consultants00752,631.97759,565.05
Full-time equivalent002.232.49
Billed consultancy days00580.8647.9
Average cost per consultant001,295.851,172.35
Number of consultancy firms0044

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University Students

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students attend each university in England. [31054]

Margaret Hodge: The available information on the numbers of students in each university in England is contained in "Students in Higher Education Institutions, 1999–2000" published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), a copy of which is available from the House Library.

School Census

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to publish the results of the Annual Schools' Census of 17 January 2002. [31367]

Mr. Timms: The first data to be published from the Annual School Census of 17 January 2002 will be in the statistical first releases, "Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2002 (Provisional)" and "Pupil:Teacher Ratios in Maintained Schools in England: January 2002 (Provisional)". These are due to be published in April 2002.

The exact publication date will depend on the quality, completeness and timeliness of the data returned by schools.

Details of publications over the next few months can be found in the statistical first release, "Schedule for the Publication of Statistics". Copies are placed in the House of Commons Library, or can be found on the DfES statistical website, www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics

Student Hardship

Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on student hardship in higher education. [31469R]

Margaret Hodge: The latest Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) showed that in 1998–99 most students could meet all their essential expenditure from the student loan, which has since been raised annually in line with inflation. The SIES and other surveys suggest that students are meeting additional costs of entertainment and consumer goods from family income, commercial credit and part-time working.

Our system of student support is designed so that those with the greatest need get the most support. 50 per cent. of full-time students entering HE in 2001–02 do not pay anything towards their tuition fees. We have introduced a number of measures including the Childcare Grant

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package to meet the needs of student parents, and there is other targeted support for disabled students and young people most in need.

In our current review of student support we are looking at ways to simplify the system, especially in the area of hardship support; to provide more up-front support for students from less well-off backgrounds; to ensure that all students have access to sufficient financial support throughout their years in higher education; and to tackle the problem of debt and the perception of debt.

Excellence in Cities

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in 2001–02 received Opportunity Bursaries under the Excellence in Cities programme; and in which regions and local education authority areas they were resident. [31472]

Margaret Hodge: There were 6,580 Opportunity Bursaries available in England for institutions to award to students who were entering higher education for the first time in 2001–02, and who met the criteria. The number of bursaries awarded so far is 6,129. Of these 84 per cent. (5,125) went to students from Excellence in Cities areas and Education Action Zones, and 16 per cent. (1,004) to students from elsewhere.

Institutions were not asked to submit information about students with bursaries, according to individual education authority areas.


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