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29 Oct 2002 : Column 718W—continued

Focus Group Research

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what use he and his Department has made of focus group research since June 2001; if he will identify for each research project the topics covered, the person or organisation carrying out the research, and the total cost; and if he will publish the research on his Department's website. [74987]

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Mr. Stephen Twigg: Since June 2001 the Department has completed focus group work for:

Higher Education Student Support commissioned groups to explore how first year students and parents navigated the HE student support website. This was at a cost of #44,050. The work was done by the research agency Conway Smith Rose.

Strategic research was done by the agency Campbell Keegan to gauge young people's attitudes to, and perceptions of, education. The cost was #62,334.

Fathers were asked their reaction to the new magazine XDads and Sons" to find out if the publication had any impact on their behaviour to their sons. This work was done by Solutions Strategy Research for #23,030.

Women between 18 and 40 joined a focus group run by Solutions Strategy Research to discuss child care recruitment at a cost of #17,743.

Men and women over 40 were followed up by the same agency for #27,143.

Solutions Strategy Research conducted focus groups with ethnic minorities to look at the barriers to working in child care for #41,000.

Ethnic minority pupils' views of education and learning were gathered by Connect Research and Consultancy at a cost of #51,113.

Employers were invited to discuss their information needs. This research was conducted by MORI at a cost of #43,113.

The agency Cragg Ross Dawson was commissioned to discuss parents' information needs in respect of children's education. The cost was #58,985.

For #31,138, the agency Rosenblatt conducted evaluation of the Aimhigher Roadshow withYear 9 pupils at schools across England.

A pack to aid transition between Key Stages 2 and 3 was researched by Solutions Strategy Research, which cost #96,800.

The agency Carne Martin researched attitudes to implementing and promoting basic skills training to employers for #26,849.

Reactions to careers information and advertising about Modern Apprenticeships were gathered by Stimulating World Research for #58,444.

Educational Communications sought the reactions of children from 10–19 on the Science Year Pack and advertising for #43,181.

For #90,475, the agency Rosenblatt looked at current and potential communications media for young people.

In addition to the projects listed, the Department regularly commissions research as part of the development of advertising and publicity campaigns. Focus group and other market research into creative development work of this type are regarded as commercially confidential and therefore cannot be published.

The Department's website has details of its research programme (www.dfes.gov.uk/research). Information about focus groups and other forms of research commissioned by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

Free School Meals

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of families not entitled to (a) income support and (b) income-based jobseeker's allowance who will be passported to free school meals under the new tax credits scheme. [77276]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Section 201 of the Education Act 2002 replaces Section 512 of the Education Act 1996, and anticipates that some families will move from

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income support and income based jobseekers allowance onto the new tax credits. If we had taken no action, they would have lost their entitlement to free school meals.

As was announced during the passage of the Education Bill through Parliament, we intend to make an order which will protect the school meal entitlement of around 100,000 children whose families will cease to receive Income Support and Income Based Jobseekers Allowance. It will also extend free school meals to an additional 89,000 children.

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the arrangements will be for passporting families to entitlement to free school meals under the new tax credits scheme. [77277]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Section 201 of the Education Act 2002 replaces Section 512 of the Education Act 1996, and anticipates that some families will move from income support and income based jobseekers allowance onto the new tax credits. If we had taken no action, they would have lost their entitlement to free school meals.

As was announced during the passage of the Education Bill through Parliament, we intend to make an order which will protect the school meal entitlement of around 100,000 children whose families will cease to receive income support and income based jobseekers allowance. It will also extend free school meals to an additional 89,000 children.

LEA Performances

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the number of local education authorities where performance has been found to be unsatisfactory; if she will list these authorities; and if she will make a statement. [75257]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 October 2002]: Since Ofsted began its statutory inspection of local education authorities in 1998, 42 authorities have been found to be unsatisfactory. These are listed. Of the 27 LEAs that have been re-inspected at least once so far, and the findings published, Ofsted found that 26 had improved, and of these 21 were satisfactory.

LEAs that were found unsatisfactory

Barnsley

Bradford

Bristol

Buckinghamshire

Calderdale

Derby

Doncaster

Dudley

Ealing

Enfield

Gloucestershire

Hackney

Haringey

Isles of Scilly

Islington

Kent

Lambeth

Leeds

Leicester City

Lincolnshire

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Liverpool

Luton

Manchester

Middlesbrough

Milton Keynes

North Somerset

Plymouth

Redbridge

Richmond-upon-Thames

Rochdale

Rotherham

Sandwell

Sheffield

South Tyneside

Southwark

Swindon

Tameside

Thurrock

Tower Hamlets

Walsall

Waltham Forest

Westminster

Local Education Authority Funding

Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, by local education authority, the percentage of children receiving extra funding from (a) area cost adjustment, (b) other deprivation, (c) ethnicity, (d) income support and (e) sparsity funding. [77016]

Mr. Miliband: In the current education standard spending assessment system, additional funding for deprivation, area costs, and sparsity is allocated to each LEA according to indicators derived from an analysis of past spending patterns. It is not therefore possible to identify percentages of children receiving extra support for each of these characteristics.

Medical Schools

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what resources have been earmarked for research start-up in new medical schools. [77488]

Margaret Hodge: Higher education institutions themselves decide how to deploy the resources made available to them from the public purse. I understand some institutions have chosen to devote some of their share of the #1 billion science research investment fund to support new medical schools. Alongside this, the Department of Health has provided #4.25 million non-recurrent funding for NHS facilities to support research in the new medical schools in 2001–02, and is making arrangements to provide a further #9.25 million in 2002–03. From 2002–03 it is providing over #1 million in recurrent funding to mobilise NHS support for research at the schools. In addition, researchers at all medical schools and faculties of medicine are eligible to

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apply to the Medical Research Council for research funds. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.

PSA Targets

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list each target set for schools in England and Wales for each year from 1997–98 to 2001–02, stating whether the target set was achieved, and where the target was not met, what actions were taken by the Department for Education and Skills. [76583]

Mr. Miliband: Information about progress on PSA targets was published in the Department's 2002 Departmental Report in June 2002.

Latest progress will be reported in the Department's 2002 Autumn Performance Report to be published for the first time in November 2002.

Recycling

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she is taking to encourage schools to promote recycling; and if she will make a statement. [77215]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Within the national curriculum, for example in Citizenship and geography, pupils learn about sustainable development, including the benefits of recycling.

Many schools are working in partnership with local authorities on recycling projects through Local Agenda 21, which is an action plan for achieving sustainable development at local and community level.

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