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End-of-life Vehicles Directive
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what extra funding has been provided to local authorities to finance the end-of-life vehicles directive; and if she will make a statement. [62560]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 17 June 2002]: The directive contains no provision which applies directly to local authorities. Additional costs incurred by local authorities as a consequence of our transposition and implementation of the directive would, under the "New Burdens" arrangements, fall to be met by DTI.
Plutonium
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what studies have been undertaken by (a) her Department, (b) non-departmental public bodies responsible to her Department and (c) consultants, in respect of the management of plutonium. [61962]
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Mr. Wilson: The Department, in collaboration with other interested Government Departments and agencies is currently undertaking a study of the possible options for the future management of UK owned civil plutonium.
Export Licences
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 20 May 2002, Official Report, column 50W, on export licences, when she will complete processing the export licence application number 32368 made on 7 March by Pultrex Ltd. of Colchester; what the explanation is for the delay in dealing with the application; and what action she plans to take to improve the timescale of processing export licence applications. [61504]
Nigel Griffiths: Licences to export arms and other items whose export is controlled for strategic reasons are issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, acting through the Export Control Organisation (ECO). A decision has not yet been reached on export licence application number 32368, but will be taken as quickly as possible, consistent with the need to give full consideration to the issues involved including the status of end-users. The application is currently outstanding with our advisers.
The Government recognise that the system for processing export licence applications requires continuous improvement if we are to deliver a more efficient and effective export licensing system, which is both accountable and transparent. The ECO has introduced a number of initiatives to reduce the time taken to process export licence applications. These include the roll-out of new enhanced IT systems that will mean, for example, allowing exporters to apply for a standard individual export licence over the internet.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Teachers' Pay
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to equalise rates of pay between teachers in (a) sixth forms and (b) further education colleges. [48222]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 10 April 2002]: Teachers in sixth forms are subject to national school teachers' pay and conditions. Further education colleges are free to set their own pay and conditions and my right hon. Friend has no plans to change that state of affairs.
Departmental Appointments
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list her Department's appointees to DCMS sponsored bodies, broken down by age group. [60037]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 10 June 2002]: There are no Department for Education and Skills appointees on public bodies sponsored by DCMS.
GCSEs
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to make provision for a GCSE in performing arts and related disciplines. [60877]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: As indicated in the Green Paper: "14–19 Extending Opportunities, Raising Standards", the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has been asked by the Department to begin work on the development of additional titles for new GCSEs in vocational subjects. Advice is awaited on the range of possible titles, and timings for implementation.
Small Schools
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on pupil achievements and pupil teacher ratios in (a) small schools and (b) larger and amalgamated schools. [61200]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 13 June 2002]: The latest performance data for the cohorts of pupils taking Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 for all schools was published in May 2002 in the Statistical Bulletin "Statistics of Education: National Curriculum Assessments of 7, 11 & 14 year olds in England: 2001". The GCSE/GNVQ performance was also published in May 2002 in "GCSE/GNVQ and GCE A/AS/VCE/Advanced GNVQ Examination Results 2000/2001—England". Both publications are available on the Department's website http://www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics. The Keystage and GCSE/GNVQ performance of schools with a small cohort is shown.
Tables showing the pupil:teacher ratios (PTRs) for primary and secondary schools, by school size are also shown. School size refers to the total number of full time equivalent pupils in the school as reported in the Annual Schools' Census (January 2002).
Copies of the relevant tables have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
| Maintained schools(6) | All schools | |
|---|---|---|
| Reading(7) | 88 | 84 |
| Writing | 88 | 86 |
| Mathematics | 94 | 91 |
| Number of schools | 1,114 | 15,937 |
(6) Schools with fewer than 10 eligible pupils.
(7) These percentages are based on achievements at Level 2C/B/A in the reading task and Level 3 and 4 in the reading test.
| Maintained schools(8) | All schools | |
|---|---|---|
| English | 79 | 75 |
| Mathematics | 75 | 71 |
| Science | 91 | 88 |
| Number of schools | 975 | 14,780 |
(8) Schools with fewer than 10 eligible pupils
| Maintained mainstream schools and CTCs(9) | All schools | |
|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 66 |
| Mathematics | 55 | 67 |
| Science | 58 | 67 |
| Number of schools | 22 | 3,163 |
(9) Schools with fewer than 50 eligible pupils.
1. Number of schools is the largest of the available subjects.
2. Small schools and all schools figures published in the statistical Bulletin published in May 2002.
3. Maintained schools cover mainstream maintained schools and CTCs.
4. Independent schools include independent special schools.
5. Special schools cover all maintained and non-maintained special schools and pupil referral units.
6. All pupils reaching the end of a Key Stage are "eligible pupils", although not all sit the tests (due for example to disapplication or absence).
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| Schools with 50 or fewer 15-year-olds | All schools | |
|---|---|---|
| Five or more A*-C | 41.6 | 48.6 |
| Five or more A*-G | 88.6 | 91.0 |
| No passes | 5.6 | 3.9 |
| Average point score | 35.4 | 39.1 |
| Number of schools | 21 | 3,133 |
| Size of school | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 100 | 18.2 | 8.6 |
| 101 to 200 | 21.1 | 13.6 |
| 201 to 300 | 22.8 | 16.4 |
| 301 to 400 | 23.1 | 17.0 |
| 401 to 500 | 23.8 | 17.2 |
| 501 to 600 | 23.3 | 16.8 |
| 601 to 700 | 23.8 | 16.9 |
| 701 to 800 | 23.4 | 16.9 |
| 801 to 900 | 24.1 | 16.9 |
| 901 to 1,000 | 28.0 | 17.0 |
| 1,001 to 1,100 | (11)— | 17.1 |
| 1,101 to 1,200 | (11)— | 16.9 |
| 1,201 to 1,300 | (11)— | 17.0 |
| 1,301 to 1,400 | (11)— | 16.8 |
| 1,401 to 1,500 | (11)— | 16.9 |
| 1,501 to 1,600 | (11)— | 17.0 |
| 1,601 to 1,700 | (11)— | 16.8 |
| 1,701 to 1,800 | (11)— | 17.1 |
| 1,801 and over | (11)— | 17.1 |
| Overall | 22.5 | 16.9 |
(10) Based on full time equivalent pupil numbers.
(11) No schools of this size.
Source:
Annual Schools Census—January 2002 (provisional).
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