---

Education Standards

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) boys and (b) girls from ethnic minority backgrounds reached the required standards of (i) English and (ii) Maths at Key Stages (A) 1, (B) 2, (C) 3 and (D) 4 in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [57713]

Mr. Miliband: The information requested is not available centrally at present. The new Pupil Level Annual Schools' Census that my Department introduced in January 2002 will enable for the first time linkage between the characteristics of individual pupils to their Key Stage and GCSE/GNVQ achievements. Statistical analyses from these linkages will be published in the autumn.

Equal Treatment

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by her Department since August 1997. [58338]

Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 22 May 2002]: Statistics published by the Department routinely include breakdowns by gender and age, except (in the latter

20 Jun 2002 : Column 519W

case) where they relate to programmes for children or young people of a specific age (for example national curriculum assessments).

In the early years and child care field, a number of survey series have been introduced since 1997. The topics covered include parents of three and four-year-old children and their use of early years services, parents' demand for child care, and the child care work force. The data collected include gender, age, ethnicity and disability, and analyses are published accordingly where sample sizes allow.

Since 1997 the Department has developed and implemented a "Pupil Level Annual Schools Census" (PLASC) collecting far more detailed data than hitherto from maintained schools. Data were collected for all maintained school pupils for the first time in January 2002, and are being linked with their Key Stage and examination achievements as they occur. These data will allow far more detailed investigation of the impact of gender, ethnicity, special educational needs and other factors on the experiences and achievements of school pupils, and new analyses or series will be published from this source in due course.

Since 1997 the Department has introduced several new statistical series on young people and adults embarking on Government supported training, their qualification achievements and subsequent destinations. These include breakdowns by some or all of gender, ethnicity, disability and literacy/numeracy need.

In 2000 a new series was introduced on the level of highest qualification held by young people and adults of working age, including breakdowns by gender, age and ethnicity. This was a new analysis of data from the long-standing Labour Force Survey.

The Department, in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics and the Department for Work and Pensions, introduced the English Local Labour Force Survey in 2000, a new annual exercise expanding on the Labour Force Survey. First results from the enlarged survey were published in 2001, including a wide range of qualifications and labour market analyses with breakdowns by gender, age, ethnicity and disability.

In addition to new data series, since 1997 the Department has commissioned, conducted itself or contributed to a wide range of one-off or time limited exercises, yielding information including gender, age, ethnicity or disability (or special educational need) dimensions:

Effective Provision of Pre-School Education—a longitudinal study of children;


the Millennium Cohort, a new longitudinal study led by the Economic and Social Research Council and co-funded by DfES and other Departments, which surveyed 20,000 babies born between July 2000 and June 2001, and will (for example) provide vital information for the evaluation of Sure Start;


17 published research reports, plus two more in preparation, on topics related to special educational needs, including the evaluation of provision for different kinds of special need, the development of good practice in special needs provision, and the achievements of special needs pupils;


three published research reports on topics related to ethnicity (teaching and learning strategies in successful multi-ethnic schools; minority ethnic participation and achievements in education, training and the labour market; Black Caribbean young men's experiences of education and employment), plus three more

20 Jun 2002 : Column 520W

in preparation (on exclusions of minority ethnic pupils, minority ethnic pupils in mainly White schools, and the experiences of minority ethnic students in higher education and their transition into the labour market);


evaluation of the Department's "Excellence in Cities" initiatives, and their impact for pupils of different gender, age and ethnicity;


evaluation of the impact of Educational Maintenance Allowances on participation and achievement in post-16 education;


the "Excellence Challenge" to increase and widen participation in higher education, the evaluation of which will assess the aspirations of minority ethnic and female students, their achievements at ages 14–18 and progression into higher education;


the National Survey of Adult Basic Skills Needs (scheduled for completion in 2003), plus a longitudinal study of the impact of basic skills learning (scheduled for completion in 2005);


the National Adult Learning Survey—a special survey in 1999 for adults from ethnic minorities, and a boosted sample in 2000 to capture information for adults with disabilities;


an on-going study of the impact of gender, ethnicity, age and disability on teachers' career patterns (scheduled for completion in 2003);


an on-going survey of the use of and attitudes towards ICT by people from ethnic minorities compared with White people;


the "Young people and ICT" survey published in 2002, looking at use of, attitudes to and expenditure on ICT by children and their parents, plus a repeat survey to be published in 2003, which will examine variations by ethnic group in greater depth;


a study of the position of women in IT, electronic and communication courses and careers (conducted jointly with the Department of Trade and Industry and Cabinet Office).

School Expenditure

Mr. Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of UK GDP was spent on (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each of the last three years. [60346]

Mr. Miliband: Data are not recorded to indicate how funding is split between secondary schools and primary schools in the United Kingdom. The following table provides details of the proportion of gross domestic product spent on schools in the United Kingdom in the last three years. Some under fives are educated in primary schools and therefore funding for this group is also shown.

Percentage

	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Schools	2.7	2.8	3.0
Under Fives	0.2	0.2	0.3
Total Schools and Under Fives	2.9	3.0	3.3

In England, approximately 46 per cent. of recurrent spending on schools is targeted for funding primary schools and educating the under-fives. Some 44 per cent. is directed into secondary schools and sixth form colleges. The remaining funding supports other services such as school transport, school meals, teacher development and child guidance.

Information on schools spending by the devolved Assemblies is a matter for them and not for my Department.

Computers

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many computers were replaced

20 Jun 2002 : Column 521W

in her Department in each of the past three years; how the replaced units were disposed of and by which companies; and at what cost. [60738]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The number of computers replaced in each of the past three years by the Department for Education and Employment (until June 2001) and the Department for Education and Skills (from June 2001 onwards) was:

Date	Number
April 1999-March 2000	1,250
April 2000-March 2001	3,155
April 2001-March 2002	2,542

The Department's policy is to give suitable computer equipment to non-profit organisations active in education, training and employment and to dispose of other computer equipment by auction. Over the three years 3,500 computers were provided to schools and other non-profit making organisations.

Two companies, London Computer Auctions (until July 2000) and Northern Realisations, have handled the transfer to non-profit organisations, making a small charge to cover their costs. They have also handled the auction sales.

The cost to the Department over the three years was about £30,000.

Performance Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what has been the (a) cost and (b) saving from the pursuit of the Department's public service agreement targets in each year since they were introduced. [61039]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Department's public service agreement set out the key outcomes it is committed to deliver with the resources provided, and its service delivery agreement sets out the key steps towards delivery of those targets. Every year the Department publishes performance against its targets—including on value for money—and the resources it has used, in its departmental report.

---