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Undergraduates
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of undergraduates failed to complete a course at a higher education institution, broken down by institution and course title, in each year since 1997. [48246]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 10 April 2002]: Nationally, the non-completion rate has remained broadly the same at 17–18 per cent since 1991–92. In 2000, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a table comparing estimates of non-completion rates in member countries. They showed an average of around a third of university students did not complete their course in OECD countries. The UK boasts the second lowest non-completion rate among the OECD countries.
The available information on non-completion rates is contained in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK" published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), copies of which are available from the House library. The figures cover full-time first degree courses only, and show, for each individual HE institution in the UK, the proportion of entrants who failed to complete their course. Copies of the HEFCE publication are available for students starting courses in 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99. The next edition, covering students starting courses in 1999–2000, is scheduled for publication in autumn 2002.
Local Education Authority Spending
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what checks are made to ensure that local education authorities do not transfer education funds to non-educational activities. [48566]
Mr. Timms: Most of the funding made available to local education authorities by the Government is unhypothecated. In recent years, however, LEAs have been strongly encouraged by the Secretary of State to increase their education budgets annually by an amount at least equal to the increase in their Education Standard Spending Assessments, and the Department monitors the extent to which this target has been achieved. The Education Bill currently before Parliament contains a provision, intended for exceptional use only, empowering my right hon. Friend to set a minimum level for an LEA's schools budget where she considers that the budget proposed by the LEA for a particular year is seriously inadequate.
Specific and special grants from the Government are subject to appropriate audit arrangements, the nature of which varies from grant to grant.
Education Funding (Essex)
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received about the allocation of funds for education made by Essex County Council; and if she will make a statement. [48567]
Mr. Timms: My right hon. Friend has received one letter from a school in Essex about the decision by Essex County Council not to increase its education budget by as much as the increase in its Education Standard Spending
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Assessment. Authorities are strongly encouraged to achieve such an increase and the Department publishes annually a table showing which authorities have not done so.
Skills Base (Coastal Towns)
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what analysis has been carried out by the Learning and Skills Council on how the skills base in seaside and coastal towns compares to the national average. [48594]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.
Vacant Teaching Posts
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacant deputy head teacher posts existed in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) special schools and (d) all schools, expressed as percentage of the total number of head teachers, for each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [47508]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 10 April 2002]: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many vacant teacher posts existed in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) special schools and (d) all schools, expressed as percentage of the total number of teachers, in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority; [47507] (2) how many teacher vacancies in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) special schools and (d) all schools there were in each year since 1997 (i) expressed as a percentage of all teachers broken down by local education authority and (ii) broken down by health authority. [47744]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 10 April 2002]: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
Child Care
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the target to set targets for the registration and inspection of childcare providers by December 2001 was met on time. [47902]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and I have asked HM Chief Inspector for Schools, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Gentleman and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the work of the Early Years Directorate in implementing a national system of regulation of childcare. [47899]
Margaret Hodge: The Department receives regular reports about the work of the Early Years Directorate in the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). We are
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aware of the good work that has been done to establish a new national system of childcare regulation, and the considerable progress that has been made during the current transitional period. We understand that OFSTED is on target to achieve the inspection of all childcare providers by the end of March 2003.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the National Register of Childminders and Day Care Providers can be viewed. [47900]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and I have asked HM Chief Inspector for Schools, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Gentleman and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.
Nursing Diploma
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many students were recruited into nursing diploma courses in the academic year 2001–02; and what evidence she has collected on the impact of the cost of studying on numbers of nursing students; [43335]
- (2) what plans she has to allow nurses on diploma courses access to student loans; [43334]
(3) what assessment has been made of the level of debt incurred by nurses on diploma courses; [43336]
(4) what assessment she has made of the number of nurses on diploma courses who have dependents. [43332]
Mr. Hutton: I have been asked to reply
Consistent with our aim of encouraging wider access to the health professions, a significant (and growing) number of student nurses are mature entrants, single parents and others with dependants.
Approximately 13 per cent of diploma level nursing and midwifery students receive the additional dependants' allowances available to those who have financial responsibility for dependants (including adult dependants). Other sources of information available to the Department, including a recent survey from the Royal College of Nursing, indicate that up to 35 per cent of nursing and midwifery students have children living with them.
NHS Bursaries were introduced in recognition of the demands of health professional training and the need to guarantee the supply of staff to the service. The Government are increasing the number of health professional training places at both diploma and degree level, and already during the current academic year 15,000 students have embarked on diploma level nursing and midwifery programmes. The number of individuals applying for these courses is now running at a buoyant level with the number of applicants having more than doubled since the 1997–98 academic year. There are now on average more than two applicants for every training place.
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There are no plans to move diploma level nursing and midwifery students (or any other health professional trainees) to a loan-based system of support.
The Department does not routinely monitor the level of debt amongst diploma level nursing and midwifery students. These students are not reliant on student loans and instead receive a flat-rate basic maintenance grant with no contribution required from the student's income or their family's. In addition, the NHS meets students' liability for a tuition fee contribution (currently £1,075 a year) in full and without means testing. This package of support is, in many circumstances, more favourable that the loan-based system of support available to most other students.
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