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15 Oct 2002 : Column 789W—continued
Schools Access Initiative Fund
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department has taken to inform schools of the Schools Access Initiative Fund. [74139]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Information on the Schools Access Initiative is available on the Department's Special Educational Needs website at www.dfes.gov.uk/sen including information about allocations to individual Local Education Authorities and advice on how to find out more. Guidance on capital issues, including Schools Access Initiative, is also available on the education resource website teachernet at www.teachernet.gov.uk
We sent guidance to all schools—Accessible Schools: Planning to increase access to schools for disabled pupils—in July this year. This included information on the Schools Access Initiative.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to monitor the applications and spending decisions made under the Schools Access Initiative Fund, with particular reference to differing types of disability. [74140]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in receipt of resources provided under the Schools Access Initiative, are required to submit an implementation report to the Department at the end of the financial year confirming the types of access work and schools which have been targeted, together with costs and potential benefits of the work. This information is not categorised according to type of disability.
LEAs are under a statutory duty to plan to increase the accessibility of their schools to disabled pupils, and the effective provision of access for disabled pupils in schools is an integral factor in the appraisal of Asset Management Plans. OfSTED will also monitor schools' accessibility plans as part of their inspections.
Digital Photographs
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if digital photographs of children are being used to identify them in schools. [73317]
Mr. Miliband: Schools have for many years taken photographs of pupils for sale to parents, copies of which have been kept in the school. In recent years, copies of these photographs have been made available on a CD to many schools, so that a photo can be added to a pupil's electronic record.
A photograph of a pupil falls within the definition of data in section 1 of the Data Protection Act and schools should ensure that the storage and use of the photograph is compatible with the Act.
Juvenile Obesity
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research is being commissioned by the
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Department on levels of obesity amongst school children; and what assessment has been made as to how these vary in different types of school. [73348]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: This Department has not commissioned any research into obesity amongst school children, or carried out any assessment as to how obesity varies in different types of school.
Better Regulation Task Force
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the report by the Better Regulation Task Force regarding education. [73764]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Better Regulation Task Force published their report ''Higher Education: Easing the Burden'' on 22 July. Due to the Summer Recess, the Task Force has agreed that the normal 60-day response time can be extended to end of October. I will inform the hon. Member of the Government's response at that time.
Apprenticeships
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many apprentices (a) started and (b) completed their apprenticeships in the years commencing 1 May (i) 1996, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2002. [74329]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The number of Advanced Modern Apprenticeships (AMA) and Foundation Modern Apprenticeships (FMA) started by young people (aged 15 to 24) are as follows:
| FMA | AMA | |
|---|---|---|
| (i) 29 April 1996–4 May 1997 | 0 | 56,900 |
| (ii) 5 May 1997–4 May 1998 | 1,400 | 68,300 |
| (iii) 29 April 2002–23 June 2002 | 4,400 | 12,000 |
Note:
Figures exclude transfers between AMA, FMA and other work-based learning.
(b) Information on completion of AMA and FMA frameworks is not available.
Children in Care
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she is taking to raise the educational standard of children in care. [73928]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Student Finance
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will publish her review of student finance. [74688]
Margaret Hodge: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
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HEALTH
Health Staff
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed by his Department on (a) 2 May 1997 and (b) 31 May 2002. [60893]
Mr. Lammy: I refer the right hon. Member to the central answer provided by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office on 13 June 2002, Official Report, col. 1402W. Copies of the documents are available in the Library.
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for (a) nurses and (b) doctors in the Huntingdon constituency. [74238]
Mr. Lammy: Information on the numbers of vacancies for nurses and doctors in the Huntingdon constituency has been placed in the Library.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the planned cost is of administrative and support staff for the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire NHS Health Authority in 2002-03. [74328]
Jacqui Smith: The planned cost of administrative and support staff for the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority is #4 million.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning the Nursing and Midwifery Council's proposals to introduce compulsory insurance. [74330]
Mr. Hutton: The Department has received 32 letters from independent midwives and those who have used their services on this subject.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of administrative and support staff in NHS organisations within the North Yorkshire Health Authority area in 1996–97; and what the planned cost is of administrative and support staff for (a) Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust, (b) Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT, (c) Selby and York Primary Care Trust, (d) Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT, (e) Harrogate Health Care Trust, (f) South Tees Hospital NHS Trust and (g) York Health Services NHS Trust in 2002–03. [74327]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table below.
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MS Drug Therapies
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what system of audit was set up alongside the risk sharing scheme for MS drug therapies announced in February; [73308]
- (2) what information (a) PCTs and (b) strategic health authorities are required to provide to his Department in respect of the risk sharing scheme for MS drug therapies; [73309]
(3) What assessment he has made of the success of the risk sharing scheme for the MS drug therapies since its inception; [73310]
(4) if he will undertake an interim review to assess progress in implementing the risk sharing scheme for drug therapies for MS; and if he will make a statement. [73357]
Mr. Lammy: The risk-sharing scheme is subject to the usual arrangements for clinical governance and audit adopted within the National Health Service. It is the role of the strategic health authority to ensure that policy is delivered appropriately in its area. Each neurology centre submits data to the scheme co-ordinator, Sheffield University's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR).
Primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are not expected to report routinely to the Department, though we have, in this instance, requested reports on progress. We understand that, in most areas if treatment is not already being initiated, it will start over the autumn.
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