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Ethnicity

Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors other than language are measured in the ethnicity factor; and what proportion of the ethnicity factor is based on additional language criteria. [78610]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The ethnicity factor in the existing Education Standard Spending Assessment is measured by country of birth data taken from the 1991 national census. Under the proposals issued for consultation on 8 July, two factors are proposed for ethnicity, both taken from the Annual Schools' Census:

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the first relates to the number of children with language needs; the second relates to the numbers of children in certain low achieving ethnic groups. Decisions on the proportion of funding to be distributed using each factor will be announced by the beginning of December.

EU Structural Funds

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what money is planned to pass between the Department and (a)the European Social Fund and (b) the European Regional Development Fund in (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04. [79072]

Margaret Hodge: Overall #502 million of ESF is available in England in 2002–03 and #512 million in 2003–04. The figures for ERDF are #421 million in 2002–03 and #532 million in 2003–04. A significant proportion of ESF and a small proportion of ERDF support the Department for Education and Skills' policy objectives in the English regions. In addition, the Department plans to use #11 million of ESF in 2002–03 and #30 million in 2003–04 to support the development of its national policies and programmes.

Examinations

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the initial total cost was including production, printing, marking and moderation of (a) KS1 SATS, (b) KS2 SATS, (c) KS3 SATS, (d) GCSE, (e) AS, (f) A Level and (g) A2 for all schools in England and Wales for each of the years from 1997–98 to 2001–02. [76582]

Mr. Miliband: The breakdown of expenditure for the KS SATS (England) and GCSE and A Level (England and Wales is as follows:

# million

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
KS1 SATS	1.6	1.6	1.7	1.9	2.2
KS2 SATS	3.1	10.5	10.6	11.4	12.2
KS3 SATS	3.5	10.5	11.0	11.9	13.0
KS SATS 1–3 total	8.2	22.6	23.3	25.2	27.4
GCSE	86.0	92.7	95.8	102.0	108.9
A Level	36.4	42.4	44.4	59.5	64.6

Notes:

1. Because of budgeting methods, the individual KS1–3 SATS figures are an indicative breakdown of the KS SATs subtotals.

2. Figures for KS SATS for 1997–98 are from 1 October 1997 (when QCA commenced operations).

3. Figures for A Level include AS and A2.

4. Figures for GCSE and A-Level for 2001–02 are estimates.

F40 Group

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the F40 group in the review of local government education funding formula to provide a more even funding system for rural and inner city schools. [78877]

Mr. Miliband: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping) on 24 October 2002, Official Report, column 460W.

Free School Milk

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he is taking to promote free milk in schools for children aged up to 11; and if he will list education authorities in the UK which provide free school milk for those aged up to (a) seven and (b) 11 years. [79224]

Mr. Stephen Twigg : The Department supports the provision of free and paid for milk in schools and encourages schools and LEAs to offer it to pupils. Following a 20 percent reduction of the EU subsidy on school milk from January 2001, this Department jointly agreed with the Department of Health and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to top up the 1.5m shortfall. This helped to prevent possible increased costs of school milk provision. This Department does not collect statistics on school milk provision.

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Funding Gap

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of funding is distributed under the AEN for (a) deprivation, (b) ethnicity and (c) area cost adjustment; what criteria are used to access the need for increased funding for ethnicity in secondary and primary schools; and what plans she has to reduce the funding gap between schools. [76274]

Mr. Miliband: Under the current system of education standard spending assessments, 19 per cent. of funding is distributed according to additional educational needs, of which 17 per cent. is for deprivation and 2 per cent. is related to ethnicity (as measured by country of birth data taken from the 1991 national census). A further 4 per cent. is distributed through the area cost adjustment. The level of extra funding for ethnicity in the current system is determined by analysis of the spending patterns of local authorities from 1990–91. In the new system of education funding assessments, which will be introduced for 2003–04, the level of extra funding for additional educational needs will be decided on the basis of evidence about pupil characteristics and cost of provision. This will determine the distribution of funding between authorities and will be announced with the local authority finance settlement by early December.

Higher Education

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will consult students on the findings of the review of higher education; [77753]

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government will consult students on the outcome of the review of higher education. [77778]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 28 October 2002]: We plan to publish a strategy document setting out our 10-year vision for the development and reform of higher education in January. Once the document is published there will be opportunity for all interested parties to respond.

Higher Education (Lecturers' Pay)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to achieve the equalisation of pay between further education college and sixth form college lecturers. [78476]

Margaret Hodge: Colleges in the further education (FE) sector, including sixth form colleges, are independent corporations with their own pay arrangements. Colleges agree annual pay rises and conditions of employment with their staff in the context of local priorities and the overall resources available to them. There is a nationally recommended pay increase agreed by the employers' representative bodies and the unions but pay arrangements in the sector are diverse, reflecting colleges' local flexibility. Government have no plans to change this arrangement.

Extra resources have been made available to the FE sector. This year, #4.4 billion has been allocated to FE, an increase of #1.2 billion in five years. Within this, there is #142 million available for the Teaching Pay Initiative,

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known as the Professional Standards Payment in sixth form colleges, which helps colleges to modernise pay arrangements and to recruit, reward and retain excellent teachers.

We have already announced that from next year and up to 2005–06 there will be a 1 per cent. annual real terms increase in core funding for FE and three year budgets for colleges which demonstrate their effectiveness. This, plus the additional resources for FE that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be announcing in November to support our Success for All strategy, will present a more stable environment within which general FE and sixth form colleges can plan and negotiate pay levels and arrangements.

Non-governmental Organisations

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what grants his Department plans to make to NGOs in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [79078]

Mr. Charles Clarke: This Department works with over a 1000 voluntary and private organisations to which grants are made directly. Many more organisations receive grants via our NDPBs and other agencies, for which we hold no central records. Therefore this question could only be answered at disproportionate cost.

School Exclusions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were permanently excluded from school in each local education authority in each of the last five years. [78475]

Mr. Miliband: A table showing the information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

School Repairs

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to (a) publish annual reports on his Department's targets for the rebuilding and repair of school infrastructure and (b) instruct his Department's Service Delivery Agreement to include fresh targets for (i) the number of schools to be rebuilt and remodelled, (ii) the number of schools to be in receipt of substantial repair and (iii) the elimination of the repair backlog by 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [78894]

Mr. Miliband: We have no immediate plans to publish annual reports on the rebuilding and repair of school infrastructures. The Department is currently reviewing its schools capital programme in the light of the outcome of the recent spending review.

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