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European Union Directives
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to her Department that have been implemented in each of the last four years,
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specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each. [39127]
Margaret Hodge: My Department has been responsible for the implementation of one directive in the past four years. My officials are currently working on the implementation of a second. The details are as follows:
Directive 2000/5/EC of 25 February 2000 amending Annexes C and D of Directive 92/51/EEC on general system for the recognition of professional education and training to supplement Directive 89/48/EEC.
The amendment obliges UK authorities to take account of new training introduced in Austria for certain health professions and obliges other member states' authorities to take account of changes to training in UK.
The UK's transposition in respect of Directive 2000/5/EC was SI 2001/200 came into force on 27 February 2001. This measure had no cost to public funds or businesses.
Directive 2001/19/EC of 14 May 2001 amends Directive 89/48/EEC and Directive 92/51/EEC on the general system for the recognition of professional qualifications and Council Directives 77/452/EEC, 77/453/EEC. 78/686/EEC, 78/687/EEC, 78/1026/EEC, 78/1027/EEC, 80/154/EEC, 80/155/EEC, 85/384/EEC, 85/432/EEC 85/433/EEC and 93/16/EEC concerning the professions of nurse responsible for general care, dental practitioner, veterinary surgeon, midwife, architect, pharmacist and doctor.
This directive amends a number of directives. Its purpose is to oblige member states to take account of post-qualification professional experience as part of the recognition process.
The transposition date for this directive is 1 January 2003. There will be no cost to the public funds or businesses.
Parental Leave Directive
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the (a) financial costs and (b) benefits to her Department of the Parental Leave Directive. [42490]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Staff in the Department can take 13 weeks parental leave, or 18 weeks in the case of a disabled child. As parental leave is unpaid, there has been no direct financial cost to the Department.
Parental leave and other flexible working policies help to enable the Department to get the most from staff with a wide range of responsibilities outside work.
Ministerial Private Offices
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the running costs were of (a) her Ministers' private offices, separately identifying
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expenditure on staff and (b) her Department in each year from May 1997 to the nearest date for which the information is available. [41035]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Running cost information for the Department for Education and Skills, created in June 2001, is not yet available. The information given in the table refers to the Department's predecessor, the Department for Education and Employment.
| (a) Ministers' private offices | (b) Department(16) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Of which staff | ||
| 2000–01 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 261 |
| 1999–2000 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 264 |
| 1998–99 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 252 |
| 1997–98 | (17)— | (17)— | 237 |
(16) Net amounts within the Departmental Expenditure Limit and from the Employment Opportunities Fund
(17) Not held in the format requested
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Staff: Pupil Ratios
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many classroom and teaching assistants and nursery nurses are employed in England; and what the ratio was to pupil numbers in (a) 1996 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [42091]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is shown in the table.
| FTE teaching assistants(18),(19) | Pupil:teacher ratio(20) | Pupil: adult ratio(21),(22) | Pupil:teaching assistant ratio(23) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2001 | 1996 | 2001 | 1996 | 2001 | 1996 | 2001 | |
| Nursery | 2,098 | 2,323 | 19.2 | 17.7 | 8.2 | 6.0 | 14.5 | 11.4 |
| Primary(24) | 37,318 | 63,176 | 23.2 | 22.9 | 18.0 | 15.0 | 113.4 | 67.3 |
| Secondary(24) | 6,434 | 15,467 | 16.6 | 17.1 | 14.6 | 14.0 | 467.9 | 209.0 |
| Special(25) | 10,609 | 14,227 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 9.1 | 6.6 |
| Pupil referral units | 234 | 623 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 29.4 | 14.9 |
(18) Includes both full-time and the full-time equivalent of part-time teaching assistants.
(19) Includes nursery assistants, special needs support staff, minority ethnic pupil support staff and non-teaching assistants.
(20) The pupil:teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of full-time equivalent pupils on roll in schools by the total number of full-time equivalent qualified teachers employed in schools.
(21) The pupil:adult ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of full-time equivalent pupils on roll in schools by the total number of full-time equivalent qualified teachers and education support staff employed in schools.
(22) Education support staff includes instructors and student teachers, foreign language assistants, unqualified teachers, graduate or registered teachers, teachers entitled to qualify by service, teachers not recognised as qualified and all non-teaching staff excluding administrative and clerical staff.
(23) The pupil:teaching assistant ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of full-time equivalent teaching assistants employed in schools.
(24) Includes middle schools as deemed.
(25) Includes non-maintained special schools and special and general hospital schools.
Source:
Annual schools census.
Territorial Forces
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many members of staff in her Department are members of the territorial forces; and if she has a strategy to encourage members of staff to become members of the territorial forces. [44073]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My Department does not hold this information centrally and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.
The Civil Service Management Code (paragraph 9.2.5) requires Departments and agencies to allow members of the Reserve Forces, Territorial Army or Cadet Forces time off work. My Department demonstrates its support to serving employees by allowing them special leave with pay to undertake training.
Staff (Locally Elected Representatives)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many members of staff at her Department are locally elected democratic representatives; and if she has a strategy for her Department to encourage members of staff to become locally elected democratic representatives. [44543]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My Department does not hold this information centrally and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.
Section 50 of the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 1996 requires employers to allow their staff reasonable time off for public duties. The Civil Service Management Code (paragraph 9.2.5) also requires Departments to allow time off for attendance required by section 50 of the ERA 1996. My Department demonstrates its support to employees who are elected representatives by allowing them special leave with pay to perform the duties associated with their office.
Golden Jubilee
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money the Department has spent on the Queen's Jubilee in each of the past three years; how the money was allocated; and if she will make a statement. [44594]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: My Department is contributing a total of £1 million towards education elements of the Commonwealth Games Spirit of Friendship Festival, which is linked to the Queen's Golden Jubilee, and £80,000 to other Jubilee-related projects. Spending to date by my Department in the last three financial years, is as follows:
- 1999–2000
- No expenditure.
- 2000–01
- £110,000 to the Youth Sports Trust to support various elements of the Commonwealth Games Spirit of Friendship Festival.
- £125,000 to the Commonwealth Institute to support various elements of the Commonwealth Games Spirit of Friendship Festival.
- 2001–02
- £200,000 to the Youth Sports Trust to support various elements of the Commonwealth Games Spirit of Friendship Festival.
- £445,000 to the Commonwealth Institute to support various elements of the Commonwealth Games Spirit of Friendship Festival.
- £39,200 towards a Jubilee national poetry competition for schools in conjunction with Buckingham Palace and the Poet Laureate.
- £40,000 to the Millennium Tapestry Company to fund the exhibition of the millennium children's tapestry of hope at various venues.
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