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Formula Grant
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans she has to ensure that
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the costs associated with high pupil turnover in schools in London are compensated for (a) in the education service block in formula grant and (b) by specific grant. [67813]
- (2) what plans she has to reflect the costs associated with educating children in areas of high ethnicity in (a) the education service block in formula grant and (b) by specific grant. [67814]
(3) what estimate she has made of the financial effect of changing the measure of ethnicity within the education formula grant from a country of birth indicator to an English as a second language indicator, broken down by local authority. [67815]
(4) what plans she has to redirect education funding to ensure that the Government's national child poverty targets are met. [67816]
(5) what plans she has to reflect problems associated with the recruitment and retention of teachers in London (a) in the education service block in formula grant and (b) by specific grant. [67817]
(6) what plans she has to reflect the costs of high population density in relation to school transport. [67818]
(7) what estimate she has made of the financial effect of changing the measure of ethnicity within the education formula grant from a country of birth indicator to school census data indicator, broken down by local authority. [67819]
(8) what plans she has to reflect the costs associated with educating children in areas of high social exclusion and deprivation (a) in the education service block in formula grant and (b) by specific grant. [67820]
(9) if she will make a statement concerning the impact of her proposed changes to the area cost adjustment on schools in London. [67825]
Mr. Miliband: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government announced today the issue of a consultation paper on options for reform of the distribution of grant to local authorities: copies have been placed in the Libraries. Within the consultation paper there are four options for reform of the education SSA formula. All these options have a common structure consisting of an amount per pupil together with top ups for areas of significant deprivation and areas where it costs more to recruit and retain staff. The options exemplify different measures of deprivation including children in families on income support or working families credit, children with English as an Additional Language, and children from ethnic minorities. The options do not include factors for high population density or high pupil turnover. The paper contains exemplifications of the changes to total SSA for 2002–03 that would result from each of the four options. It does not separately identify the contribution to change of each element of the formula, because it would not be meaningful to do so: nor does it identify the contribution of each element of the formula to the total. We will be making the data underlying the options available to interested parties, so that they may make a full contribution to the consultation. Decisions on specific grants will be announced following the spending review outcome.
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London Academies
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the estimated timetable is for the opening of the proposed London academies; and if she will make a statement. [67838]
Mr. Miliband: Academies will open this September in Haringey and Bexley. We expect more to open year on year with at least 25 London academies open by 2007. Academies are an important strand of the Government's drive to raise standards, improve behaviour and widen choice across London.
School Violence
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information the Government have collated on the number of teachers in maintained schools who have been the victims of serious assaults by (a) pupils and (b) parents in each of the last five years. [68260]
Mr. Miliband: The Government do not collect statistics in the form requested. However, 135 serious injuries to teachers caused by violence were reported to the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain in 2000–01, the same number as in 1999–2000. Statistics for earlier years are not available. The provisional figure for 2000–01 was 130. The figures, which relate to all schools and cannot be broken down further, cover major injuries and others resulting in more than three days' absence from work. Information is not available on whether the assaults were carried out by pupils, parents or others.
School Inspections
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been inspected or reinspected in each year since 1997 by Ofsted and of those how many (a) were found to have serious weaknesses; (b) were found to be failing, (c) were found to have moved from 'serious weakness' to 'failing', (d) were found to have moved from 'failing' to 'serious weakness', (e) were found no longer to have serious weaknesses and (f) were found no longer to be failing. [68650]
Mr. Miliband: This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.
Local Education Authority Inspection
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local education authorities have been inspected or reinspected in each year by Ofsted since 1997; and of those how many (a) were found to be failing, (b) were found to be failing on reinspection and (c) were found no longer to be failing. [68651]
Mr. Miliband: This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.
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PRIME MINISTER
Gibraltar
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister for what reason he has declined to meet the Chief Minister of Gibraltar in the last three months; and if he will make a statement. [68046]
The Prime Minister: My diary commitments have meant a meeting has not been possible. I have encouraged the Chief Minister to continue his dialogue with my right hon. Friend's the Foreign Secretary and Minister for Europe. The Foreign Secretary met the Chief Minister on 3 May.
SCOTLAND
National Minimum Wage
8. Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action is being taken against employers in Scotland who are failing to pay the national minimum wage. [65305]
Mrs. McGuire: Inland Revenue has specialist enforcement teams in Aberdeen and East Kilbride who are responsible for enforcing the national minimum wage in Scotland. The teams follow up complaints made by workers and third parties about non-compliance and use other Revenue risk based data to identify employers for inquiry. Since April 1999, the teams have issued 19 enforcement notices and 29 penalty notices, leading to recovery of over £600,000 in wage arrears for low paid workers.
11. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to ensure the enforcement of the national minimum wage in Scotland. [65308]
Mrs. McGuire: Inland Revenue enforcement teams in Aberdeen and East Kilbride are responsible for enforcing the national minimum wage in Scotland. Since April 1999, they have completed over 1,700 investigations, discovered non-compliance in 27 per cent. of cases and recovered over £620,000 in wage arrears for low paid workers.
Defence Employment
9. Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs in Scotland are (a) directly and (b) indirectly related to the defence industry. [65306]
Mrs. Liddell: Expenditure on defence equipment is estimated to support approximately 6,000 jobs in Scottish businesses directly and a further 3,000 jobs indirectly.
Aircraft Carriers (Employment Prospects)
10. Mr. Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will estimate the number of potential defence related jobs in Scotland in connection with the two planned UK aircraft carrier contracts. [65307]
Mrs. Liddell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence expects to announce decisions around the end of the year on the selection of the prime contractor for the new aircraft carriers. The carrier programme will
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provide work for thousands of employees in defence industries across the UK. Scottish shipyards have been involved in supplying support to both of the competing prime contractors and clearly have good opportunities to secure a share of the work.
Waverley Line
12. Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions she has held with the chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority about the future of the Waverley line from Edinburgh to Carlisle. [65309]
Mrs. McGuire: I understand that the Waverley Railway Partnership recently launched a consultation process, which will run until the end of August, in conjunction with detailed technical assessments of the route to give the people of Midlothian, the Borders and Edinburgh an opportunity to comment on the re-establishment of the line.
I hope to discuss a range of issues including the proposed reopening of the Waverley line when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I meet senior management of Railtrack later this month.
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