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Education and Youth Council
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Education and Youth Council held on 30 May. [59708]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I attended the Education session of this council. Jane Davidson, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning in the National Assembly for Wales, attended the Youth session.
The Council held a detailed discussion on the follow-up to the Barcelona European Council which took place in March 2002, focusing in particular on the areas of: vocational training; foreign languages and European citizenship; organisational measures; and quality assurance.
A draft Council Resolution on lifelong learning was agreed without debate and political agreement was reached on a proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the council establishing the European Year of Education through Sport 2004. Ministers also gave political agreement to a proposal for a council
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decision amending Decision 1999/311/EC adopting the third phase of the trans-European co-operation scheme for higher education (Tempus III) (2000–06).
The council received information from the Commission on a proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the council amending Decision No. 253/2000/EC establishing the second phase of the Community action programme in the field of education "Socrates". A report on the outcome of the Summit of Heads of State or Government of the European Union and Latin America, held in Madrid on 17 and 18 May, was presented by the Presidency.
In the Youth session, the council agreed a draft Resolution on the framework of European co-operation in the youth field. This Resolution will take forward action to implement the proposals within the European Commission's White Paper "A New Impetus for European Youth". Discussion followed on youth participation in society, which is the priority theme of the White Paper. Ministers confirmed the importance of this theme.
The council received information from the Commission on the need to submit proposals in the next year for a new European Youth Programme to succeed the existing programme which is due to finish in 2006. The Presidency also presented a report on the actions it had taken since January 2002 to progress the youth agenda.
A copy of the council minutes will be placed in the Library in due course.
Racist Attacks
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information she collects by LEA on racially motivated attacks in schools. [60256]
Mr. Miliband: Schools are required to record all racial incidents and to report these to their local education authorities annually. Local education authorities and schools are not required to send this information to the Department.
Local Education Authority Targets
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, for the most recent year in which both sets of information are available, (a) the targets agreed by each LEA with her Department and (b) their performance against those targets. [59239]
Mr. Miliband: The Department has agreed pupil performance targets with each LEA for 2002 and 2004. Information on their performance against their 2002 targets will be available when this year's results are published in the autumn.
Departmental Policies
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will list those initiatives of her Department which have been applied in (a) Lewisham and (b) the Isle of Wight, indicating the level of financial support she has provided in each case and the number of pupils in each LEA; [60229]
- (2) if she will list the activities pursued by her Department that have had a particular impact on the Isle of Wight since 7 June 2001. [57676]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information required has been placed in the Libraries.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the activities pursued by her Department that have had a particular impact on the Wycombe constituency since 17 June 2001. [58626]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
PhD Students
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many PhD students are studying in universities in England and Wales, broken down by (a) university and (b) course; and what the equivalent figures were in each of the last five years. [55059]
Margaret Hodge: The latest information available has been placed in the Libraries.
Behaviour and Truancy
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the basis is for her statement that £60 million was spent on behaviour and truancy by the last Government. [59283]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Grants relating to truancy, disaffection and behaviour between 1992 and 1997 were as follows.
| Financial year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1992–93 | 5 |
| 1993–94 | 8.9 |
| 1994–95 | 13.7 |
| 1995–96 | 15.4 |
| 1996–97 | 17.5 |
| Total | 60.5 |
This is based on the relevant section of the Grant for Education Support and Training (GEST) which became the Standards Fund from 1998–99. All figures include LEA contributions.
Departmental Sponsors
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the duties are of hon. Members appointed as sponsors to her Department; and what assistance is given by officials in her Department to them in carrying out these duties; [59976]
- (2) which hon. Members have been appointed as sponsors to her Department since 7 June 2001; and when each of them were appointed. [59961]
Estelle Morris: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 22 May 2002, Official Report, column 362W.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on how many occasions between 31 March 2001 and 31 March 2002 (a) departmental and (b) non- departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [58729]
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Estelle Morris: Between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2002, a special adviser in my Department travelled abroad on one occasion at a cost of £376.64. All travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code, and the Civil Service Management Code.
Nurseries
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many nurseries there were; and what proportion of these were located in rural areas, broken down by region in each of the last 10 years. [57462]
Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested. The information available is shown in Tables 1 and 2. The figures are as returned by local authorities.
The latest figures on day care facilities in England were published by my Department in Statistical Bulletin 08/01 "Children's Day Care facilities at 31 March 2001" in October 2001, a copy of which is available from the Library. An electronic copy of this publication is also available on my Department's website (http:// www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics).
Statistics are collected at local education authority level, not split between urban and rural areas. Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCPs) are responsible for ensuring full coverage of both urban and rural areas within their areas of remit. EYDCPs have been set up in every local authority area of England.
To maximise the support available in rural areas, an additional £22 million has been allocated for a round of smaller Sure Start programmes, delivered through EYDCPs. These new Mini-Sure Starts will provide additional resources to new neighbourhood nurseries and existing child care facilities in rural areas, small towns, and pockets of disadvantage enabling them to offer a wider range of family support.
To date plans for Mini-Sure Starts show that over 65 per cent. of the programmes will be integrated with a neighbourhood nursery, helping to ensure families most in need have access to quality, affordable child care though neighbourhood nurseries and the additional services provided by Sure Start.
| Year as at 31 March | Total number of day nurseries |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 4,100 |
| 1993 | 4,500 |
| 1994 | 5,000 |
| 1995 | 5,400 |
| 1996 | 5,700 |
| 1997 | 6,100 |
| 1998 | 6,700 |
| 1999 | 7,000 |
| 2000 | 7,500 |
| 2001 | 7,800 |
Notes:
1. Includes facilities provided by voluntary organisations under agency arrangements, under section 22 of the National Health Service Act 1946.
2. Data collection guidance changed in 1999.
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| All day nurseries | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | |
| England | 7,000 | 7,500 | 7,800 |
| North East | 190 | 190 | 220 |
| North West and Merseyside North West | 840 | 910 | 940 |
| Merseyside | 240 | 200 | 250 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 700 | 690 | 710 |
| East Midlands | 560 | 660 | 550 |
| West Midlands | 870 | 900 | 970 |
| East of England | 570 | 610 | 600 |
| Greater London | |||
| Inner London | 610 | 650 | 680 |
| Outer London | 550 | 600 | 620 |
| South East | 1,100 | 1,240 | 1,400 |
| South West | 770 | 900 | 910 |
Note:
1. All figures are estimates and have been rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate. Figures may not add to totals because of rounding.
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