---

EU Committees (Scottish Representation)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when (a) the EU Socrates Committee, (b) the Erasmus and (c) the Comenius subcommittees are next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of them; and if she will make a statement. [66458]

Margaret Hodge: The EU Socrates Committee and sub-committees are scheduled to meet next as follows: Socrates Committee 7–8 November 2002; Higher Education sub-committee 23–24 October 2002; Schools sub-committee 4 November 2002. The UK is represented on the committees by officials from the Joint International Unit of the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Education and Skills, but members of the Scottish Executive and the representatives of the other Devolved Administrations are also "Alternate Members" of the Socrates Committee, in rotation. The Scottish

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1362W

Executive are consulted about the content of the meetings in advance, and make their views known, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations. Representatives of the Scottish Executive, and of the other Devolved Administrations, are members of the Socrates Network Committee which oversees the administration and implementation of the programme in the UK.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the EU Tempus Committee is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66462]

Margaret Hodge: The next meeting of the EU TEMPUS Committee is provisionally set for 13 December 2002. The UK has two seats on the Committee and is represented by officials from the Department for Education and Skills and from the Joint International Unit of the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions. Scottish Executive

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1363W

officials, as with officials from the other Devolved Administrations, are consulted and make their views known, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations. We understand the Executive is content with this arrangement.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the EU Advisory Committee on vocational training is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66464]

Margaret Hodge: The next meeting of the EU Advisory Committee on vocational training (ACVT) is due to take place on 9 and 10 December 2002. Members of the Scottish Executive have not been and are not members of the committee. The ACVT was established by Council Decision No. 63/266/eec dated 2 April 1963 which laid down general principles for implementing a common vocational training policy across the EU. Its purpose is to offer advice and submit opinions to the European Commission on vocational training policy which the Commission is obliged to take account of. Membership of the committee comprises Government officials and representatives from employers' organisations and trades unions. Member States are represented by one person from each group making a total of three per delegation. The representative of Government for the UK is an official from the Joint International Unit of the Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Education and Skills, who routinely consults policy colleagues in the Scottish Executive, Northern Ireland Executive and the National Assembly for Wales on issues to be discussed by the Committee. These arrangements are in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations.

Anglo-Irish Ministerial Meetings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when and where Ministers in her Department have held meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 June 2000; which Ministers were involved in each meeting; which Irish Government departments were involved in each meeting; and which Ministers and officials from the Irish Government attended each meeting. [72693]

Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 243W.

Politics (Young People)

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the outcome was of the survey conducted by the Government's children's and young people's unit regarding young people's involvement in the political process; and if she will make a statement. [72388]

John Denham: The YVote?/YNot? project has produced recommendations and advice that would help to re-engage young people in democracy and voting. These are directed by the young people at three main groups: politicians; Government and the Electoral Commission; and the media. The Children and Young People's Unit

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1364W

will be working with the Electoral Commission and a wide range of young people's organisations to extend the debate on these findings.

We also plan to make the materials from the project available to teachers, youth workers and organisations working directly with young people. We shall be working with the All Party Group on Youth Affairs to explore how Honourable Members can be helped to improve their communication with young people. The report also identified the importance of information about the political process and this will be a key feature of citizenship education, which will be part of the National Curriculum for secondary schools from August 2002.

Deprived Communities

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what additional support is provided to schools in deprived communities; and if she will make a statement. [73008]

Mr. Miliband: Nationally, about 20 per cent. of Education Standard Spending is based on additional educational need (AEN). The additional support provided to a particular school with a high number of pupils from deprived backgrounds will depend on decisions made at local level through the Fair Funding formula operated by its local education authority (LEA).

Around 25 per cent. of the Standards Fund, or £800 million of grant in 2002–03, is allocated to LEAs using deprivation factors, normally the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals. All schools will receive a devolved Standards Fund budget, based on a distribution agreed with their LEA, including any factors for deprivation.

The Standards Fund includes £255 million of targeted support in 2002–03 for deprived communities through grants for Excellence in Cities and Excellence Clusters. The Government is also providing £64 million to Education Action Zones, based in deprived areas, to run programmes to achieve pre-agreed targets and objectives in zone schools.

Public Inquiries

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her policy is on using 0870 telephone numbers for inquiries by the public to the Department and its agencies. [66201]

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills and its Agencies use a variety of different call rates. We employ the use of national rate, Lo-call and free phone numbers according to our business need. We endeavour to ensure that the cost of calls is appropriate to target users and that all people calling these numbers are charged equally.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by her Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case. [64624]

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1365W

Stephen Twigg: The Department has introduced 47 statutory instruments since 1 January 2002, 31 instruments have been revoked and 16 amending instruments have been made in the same period. Information about the cost and saving of statutory instruments to public funds is not held centrally and would cost a disproportionate amount to establish. Similarly the cost and saving to businesses and individuals is not held centrally and is not available.

Statistics

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the statistics that are collected by her Department by English parliamentary constituency; and if she will make a statement. [67102]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 8 July 2002]: The Department does not collect any statistics by English parliamentary constituency as such. Data to compile statistics are collected either from individual education or training institutions, or from local administrative bodies such as Local Education Authorities. In the former case statistics can generally be derived on a parliamentary constituency basis by aggregating data from the relevant education or training institutions. This is not carried out routinely, but is done when requested (for example in a Parliamentary Question), subject to considerations of proportionate cost.

I understand that the honourable Member has also received a letter from the National Statistician on this matter.

---