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Human Rights Act
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases have been brought against her Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what has been the cost in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments. [45060]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We do not collect central records of all cases in which the Human Rights Act 1998 is relied on. Human rights are now integrated in the general law and are rarely the sole basis for a challenge.
We do not collect separate information centrally about the costs to public funds, legal fees or compensation payments in cases which include a human rights dimension.
New Deal
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people employed by her Department under the new deal for young people in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseeker's allowance or other benefits. [45089]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We do not monitor new dealers who leave the Department.
Over the past four years, 22 new deal participants have secured unsubsidised employment with this Department.
School Census
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will examine the security of the school census information to ensure that no external bodies can gain access to the information; [45103]
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- (2) if she will examine Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in connection with the keeping of records by the Department on children of school age. [45104]
Mr. Timms: Stringent safeguards are in place to prevent unauthorised access to Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) data, or other data held by the Department, from which individual pupils could be identified. These safeguards comply with or exceed guidance in the Cabinet Office Manual of Protective Security, and the British Standard for information security. An audit of the arrangements for PLASC, carried out in February 2002, confirmed compliance. These arrangements are being kept under regular review in the light of advice from the Information Commissioner and other developments.
Certain limited disclosures of PLASC data, with pupil names, may however take place provided these comply with the Data Protection Act 1988 and other legislative requirements. For further details I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 January 2002, Official Report, columns 109–11W to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington).
We are satisfied that PLASC and the proposed central pupil database are compatible with Article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and so with the Human Rights Act 1988.
Sports Days
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with the Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the desirability of requiring each school to hold an annual sports day. [45106]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no direct discussions with DCMS Ministers specifically about school sports days. The Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport work closely together in order to maximise the benefits of PE and school sport for all pupils. Our White Paper "Schools: achieving success" includes a commitment that all children will be entitled to two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week, within and outside the curriculum. School sports days, of course, have an important role to play as part of an overall package of PE and sport opportunities for all children. One of the key aims of our School Sports Co-ordinators programme is to increase the amount of inter and intra-school competitive sport. Work being undertaken by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority suggests that the vast majority of schools do not hold an annual sports day or a similar event.
School Curriculum
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with Ofsted regarding the content of the biology curriculum and the teaching of evolution. [45236]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets the Chief Inspector of Ofsted to discuss matters relating to the curriculum and teaching in schools, including the teaching of science (where biology and evolution are taught).
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Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with Ofsted regarding the teaching of creationism in state schools. [45237]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 21 March 2002]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets the Chief Inspector of Ofsted to discuss matters relating to the curriculum and teaching in schools but has never discussed the specific issue of teaching creationism in state schools.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines she has given to schools regarding the place of creationism in the curriculum. [45238]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: All state-funded schools have a responsibility to provide a broad and balanced curriculum to their pupils. Statutory and non-statutory guidelines are available to support teachers. The schemes of work for Religious Education produced by the QCA offer guidance for teachers who want to address the issue of creationism during RE lessons.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent guidance she has issued to schools regarding the teaching of creationism in the curriculum. [48240]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: All state-funded schools have a responsibility to provide a broad and balanced curriculum to their pupils. Statutory and non-statutory guidelines are available to support teachers. The schemes of work for Religious Education produced by the QCA offer guidance for teachers who want to address the issue of creationism during RE lessons.
University Funding
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has for a sustained and targeted increase in funding to universities to cover the costs of recruiting and retaining students from less well off backgrounds. [45266]
Margaret Hodge: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is currently reviewing the additional funding it allocates to higher education institutions to recognize the additional costs of recruiting and retaining students from non-traditional backgrounds (the 'postcode premium'), and will be consulting on widening participation, including the basis on which the postcode premium is allocated, later in the spring.
Plans for spending in future years will depend upon the outcome of the Spending Review.
IT Skills
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans she has for addressing the skills shortage in programming and systems analysis; what assessment she has made of the extent of that skills shortage; and if she will make a statement; [45359]
- (2) what plans she has to meet with computer training companies to discuss provision for higher level skills training in the information and communications technology sector; [45360]
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(3) if she will develop, alongside a replacement individual learning account scheme, a project focused more directly upon the identified skills shortages of British industry, with particular reference to the information and communications technology sector. [45383]
John Healey: The information is as follows.
The Government recognise the importance of the ICT sector to the economy and are working closely with partners in education and industry to tackle the skills shortages. There are no quick fixes. We have committed £8 million between 2000–03 to a joint DfES/DTI work programme aimed at improving:
- the image of ICT and encouraging more people to pursue a career in the sector. This aims to show people that ICT jobs are rewarding and can provide valued career paths.
links between education and industry to ensure that new recruits have the skills employers require and that there is an on-going dialogue about skill needs, training priorities and the respective roles and responsibilities of business and providers.
understanding of the labour market, changing skill needs and skills deficiencies within ICT and improving the quality of our intelligence available for planning education and training provision and alleviating skills problems.
- An employer-led project to create accessible, industry-wide careers information.
A new labour market forecasting model, which can inform partners of skill needs on an on-going basis.
Help for companies to broaden their recruitment practices to encourage more candidates from under represented groups, and graduates from other disciplines into the industry. Major employers of ICT professionals have supported the project.
Developing a co-ordinated campaign to promote the positive aspects of careers in ICT occupations. The e-skills NTO has established an Employers Charter for companies committed to supporting the campaign. Activities include work on:
Development of work experience opportunities for students and women returners
Feasibility of establishing school computer clubs for girls
Identification of positive role models from industry.
ICT Labour Market Information
The Department has also funded a comprehensive review and assessment of the evidence on the supply of and demand for skills in Information and Communication Technology. This includes assessment of specific skills required and shortages of, earnings trends and scenarios of the likely future balance of the demand for, and supply of, employment in the sector.
The Department recognises the rapid rate of change in the sector and among these professionals and is supporting the development of a quarterly e-skills
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bulletin. The bulletin will update the above information by reporting on data from the Labour Force Survey and other published sources to assess trends of skill needs.
There will be a replacement ILA-type scheme building on the strengths of the ILA and taking into account the findings of the current stakeholder consultation exercise which are due in early April. At this stage it is too early to say what the curriculum focus of the replacement scheme will be.
The Secretary of State has no plans to meet with computer training companies.
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