---

Amraf Training plc

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received concerning the closure of Amraf Training plc and payments to it by her Department. [65492]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Administrative receivers were appointed to Amraf Training plc on 1 October 2001. To 28 June 2002, the Department has received 66 representations concerning the closure. Details of any payments made by the Department to Amraf Training plc are held as commercial in confidence.

Recycling

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of (a) paper and (b) other goods purchased by her Department was recycled paper in each year since 1997; what the annual total cost of these purchases was; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if she will make a statement. [65767]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: My Department changed stationery supplier in December last year because our previously contracted supplier ceased trading. As a result, we have been unable to obtain accurate data concerning the annual total cost of purchases. Mechanisms are now in place to ensure that this information will be available in future.

Green Minister

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who her Department's Green Minister is; when they (a) have attended and (b) plan to attend meetings of the Green Ministers' Committee; what the outcomes of meetings were for her Department's activities; and if she will make a statement. [65985]

9 Jul 2002 : Column 826W

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Our Green Minister is Baroness Ashton of Upholland.

Following the general election in June 2001, the previously informal Green Ministers Committee was upgraded to a Cabinet Sub-Committee of ENV and it is established practice under exemption two of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. Therefore I cannot relate progress or outcomes by my Department to anything that has been discussed.

However, I am happy to confirm my Department's commitment to promoting sustainable development, including green issues. Our departmental strategy to 2006 mentions sustainable development in relation to our investment strategy for schools, colleges and universities and in the modernisation of the Department's estate.

Rural Secondary Schools

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) environmental assessment and (b) assessment of the traffic implications she has made with respect to the specialisation of secondary schools in rural areas. [66780]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 4 July 2002]: No assessment has been made of environmental or traffic implications of specialisation for secondary schools in rural areas. We do not expect specialist school designation to have a significant impact on transport in rural areas. Specialist school designation is about raising standards of achievement across the whole school. Specialist schools enrich the learning opportunities and broaden the range of courses in their designated specialism, but they continue to teach a broad and balanced curriculum and meet the needs of all their pupils.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the extent of specialisation of secondary schools in rural areas. [66785]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 4 July 2002]: Of the 992 specialist schools to be operational from September this year, 21 (2.1 per cent.) are located in areas defined in the Register of Educational Establishments as mixed, predominantly rural or wholly rural areas. This compares with 2.8 per cent. of secondary schools nationally.

From October 2002, in order to assist small mainstream schools (many of them in rural areas) with their specialist school applications we have reduced the sponsorship requirement. Those with under 500 pupils on roll will have to raise sponsorship on the basis of £100 per pupil, subject to a minimum of £20,000.

Buildings Insurance

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of buildings insurance to her Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001. [66938]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Departments are required to comply with the Government's general policy on insurance, which is set out in "Government Accounting", chapter 30, para 30.2.5, which notes that Government do not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business, and should consider insurance only where the

9 Jul 2002 : Column 827W

value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums. Commercial insurance of a building is acceptable in cases where (a) insurance is a condition of a lease (b) the lessor will not accept a Government indemnity (c) incurring the total cost of the accommodation in question, including the cost of the insurance, is more cost- effective than other accommodation options ("Government Accounting", para 30.2.11a).

My Department building insurance, however, is paid on an annual basis, so any impact from September 11 has not been reflected as yet. The total insurance paid in 2001–02 was £121,171.

Building Values

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the buildings owned by her Department and estimate the market value of each of them. [66956]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: A list of the buildings owned by my Department and their estimated market value are detailed within the National Asset Register, published in July 2001 (Cm5221). This register lists all assets owed by Departments and their valuation.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will provide detailed information on PFI schemes, withheld on the grounds of commercial confidentiality, to bona fide research bodies to make objective assessments of their value for money. [67076]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: My Department has no PFI schemes, which have been withheld on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

Connexions

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the piloting of Connexions in rural areas. [67087]

Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 5 July 2002]: Tackling rural issues was one of the aspects which was tested in the piloting of the Connexions Service, the results of which were published by the Department for Education and Skills in the 'Lessons Learned from Connexions Pilots' report on 17 October 2001 (Research Brief ref: RB 308, Research Report ref: RR308). The document is available in the House of Commons Library.

We have also recently commissioned the University of Hull to conduct a study into the relative costs associated with delivering Connexions in rural and urban areas. This study will run from July to November 2002 with a report to be published by the Department for Education and Skills within three months of the completion of the field work. The findings of the study will help to inform a planned review of the Connexions funding arrangements due to be undertaken during 2003. All Connexions Partnerships have been informed of the study and are welcome to be involved where they feel that they have a particular contribution.

The Connexions Service is also involved with the Countryside Agency's study developing practice in rural Connexions Partnerships. This study is at the

9 Jul 2002 : Column 828W

commissioning stage, but we will in due course be disseminating examples of innovative approaches to help Partnerships deliver a high quality multi-agency support service to young people living in rural areas.

Diversity Pathfinder Scheme

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities are taking part in the diversity pathfinder scheme. [67189]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 5 July 2002]: There are six Local Education Authorities involved in the Diversity Pathfinders Project. They are;

1. Birmingham


2. Cornwall


3. Hertfordshire


4. Middlesbrough


5. Newham


6. Portsmouth.

Warwickshire and North Tyneside have been invited to join the project as they are implementing interesting plans to promote diversity in their regions. Their activities are not being funded by the DfES but they are involved in the associated research project.

LearnDirect Plus

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have enrolled on LearnDirect Plus in West Derbyshire constituency since it began. [67431]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: 660 people have enrolled on learndirect courses in the West Derbyshire constituency since Ufi/learndirect was rolled out nationally in October 2000.

Post-16 Education

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment her Department has made of the percentages of pupils staying on in full-time education or training post-age 16 in (a) schools with sixth forms and (b) schools without sixth forms in the last period for which figures are available. [67629]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 8 July 2002]: The primary source of information on the changes in the activities of young people after completing compulsory education is the Youth Cohort Study (YCS). The following table shows details in the figures requested.

	In full-time education or training post-age 16
Comprehensive schools—with sixth form	86%
Comprehensive schools—no sixth form	83%

These estimates are for England. Equivalent estimates for schools other than comprehensive schools are not available.

---