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EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Departmental Policies

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what impact her Department's policies have had on the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency since 1997. [54337]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 7 May 2002]: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the (a) private finance initiative and (b) public private partnership projects which have been delayed. [44886]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Public Private Partnership for which this Department is responsible has not been delayed.

Better Quality Service Programme

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which of the services of her Department have not been reviewed under the Better Quality Services Initiative; and when they will be reviewed. [50320]

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Mr. Ivan Lewis: The review of the Department's activities and services under the Better Quality Service Programme started in 1999 and is reflected in its Spending Review 2000 Service Delivery Agreement, which requires all its activities t be reviewed by 2004. We are on course to meet this target: progress is reported in the Department's Annual Report. There are four more Quinquennial reviews of the Department's Non-Departmental Public Bodies to be carried out in the next two years.

Building Projects

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the building projects under construction; and what coolant will be used for the building services water chilling system for such projects. [52049]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Within my Department there are no current building projects under construction, hence there is no further information to provide.

National Insurance Costs

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the cost in the next 12 months of the budget changes to employers' national insurance contributions to (a) her Department, (b) agencies of her Department, (c) local government carrying out functions within the responsibility of her Department and (d) higher education. [52083]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 29 April 2002 by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Official Report column 544.

Special Educational Needs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special needs places are available in special schools in England and Wales; and what the equivalent figure was in 1997. [52528]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of special needs places available in special schools is not collected.

The numbers of pupils on roll in maintained and non-maintained special schools in January 1997 and 2001 were 98,249 and 95,598 respectively. This represents 1.2 per cent. of all pupils in 1997 and 1.1 per cent. in 2001.

For information on Welsh special schools I refer the hon. Member to the National Assembly for Wales.

Red Cross

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what financial support her Department has given since 1 April 2000 to projects run by the British Red Cross. [52947]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 26 April 2002]: I refer to the Home Office answer to this question on 30 April 2002, Official Report, column 609W.

Disabled Access

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what adjustments have been made to

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her Department's premises following the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and what the cost of these adjustments was as a proportion of her Department's budget. [53027]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 29 April 2002]: Separate records are not kept on specific changes or costs of modifications to the Department's premises to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Expenditure on statutory and beneficial "reasonable adjustments" is subsumed within on-going works programmes covering a wide range of building maintenance and improvement projects.

Work-based Training

Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans she has to compensate families who lose benefits when their child undertakes vocational work-based training; [53338]

(2) what plans the Government have to protect the level of child maintenance of families whose children take the work-placed training option; [54174]

(3) if the Government will increase the level of financial support to families whose children take work-placed training. [54173]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have no plans at present to change the arrangements for supporting young people engaged in work-based training, and their families.

Private Tuition

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans she has to introduce a system of inspection for the private tuition industry; and if she will make a statement; [54197]

(2) what plans she has to regulate the private tuition industry; and if she will make a statement. [54198]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have no plans to regulate private tuition. Employment agencies and businesses, including those that supply private tutors, are already regulated by the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and associated Regulations, which are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Henry Box School

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what targets were agreed by Henry Box school, Oxfordshire, at the time of its acquisition of specialist status; and which have not yet been achieved. [54426]

Mr. Timms: The Henry Box school has been operating as a language college since September 2001. The information requested is being collated. I will therefore write to the hon. Member as soon as possible giving a full reply to the question raised.

Ofsted Reports

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the reports she expects Ofsted to publish in the next six months. [54891]

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Mr. Timms: This is a matter for HM Chief Inspector of Schools. I have therefore asked David Bell to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Teacher Work Load

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the School Teachers' Review Body's special review of approaches to reducing teacher work load. [55341]

Mr. Timms: The report I commissioned from the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) on approaches to reducing teacher work load has been laid before Parliament and is available in the Vote Office. I am grateful to the chair and members of the review body for their work on this important report.

I asked the review body to produce this report because I want to make sure teachers have the time and support to do what they do best—teach. I welcome the way in which the report has been produced, with careful analysis of all the evidence and opinions from the teaching profession and beyond.

The report proposes changes that would amount to a major package of reform with substantial implications for both Government and the teaching profession. I shall now hold a full consultation, running until 3 July. In addition, I shall be looking to the School Workforce Remodelling Working Party that I set up in January to consider carefully the report and give me its views. I want to hear every side of the debate before we move forward and I consult further on practical measures.

DEFENCE

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. [39202]

Dr. Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 26 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1137–38W.

Army Pensions

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the latest estimate is of the number of cases affected by the mistaken taxing of certain categories of Army pensions; and what he estimates the costs of putting this right will be. [37848]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 27 February 2002]: As regards the numbers of individuals affected by the tax error, our latest assessment remains that which I gave to the hon. Member on 26 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1136–37W. Our latest estimate of the cost to refund affected individuals similarly remains that which I gave to the hon. Member on 11 February 2002, Official Report, columns 8–9.

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