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7 Nov 2002 : Column 719W—continued
Recruitment (Over 50s)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of new recruits to his Department in the past two years were aged 50 and over. [79299]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Some 3.5 per cent. of new recruits to the Department for Education and Skills since 9 June 2001, when the Department was established, were aged 50 and over.
Parliamentary Questions/Correspondence
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) parliamentary questions and (b) letters to him from hon. Members in this session remain unanswered, broken down by those which are (i) one month old, (ii) two months old, (iii) three months old, (iv) four months old and (v) over six months old. [79939]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: There are no Parliamentary Questions tabled to this department which are over a month old. Information on letters from hon. Members is not collected in this format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Cabinet Office, publishes a report to Parliament on an annual basis, setting out the volume of Members' correspondence received by departments. The Report for 2001 was published on Friday 24 May 2002, Official Report, column 677W. Copies of previous reports are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many staff have been employed at his Department in each year from 1995–6 to 2002–3; and if he will make a statement. [80235]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The staffing numbers—as at 1 April in each year—are given below.
To note: Two numbers are given for the year 1995 as the Employment Department and Department for Education were then separate Departments. The numbers for 1996 to 2001 are for the Department for Education and Employment. Those for 2002 are for the Department for Education and Skills.
| Year | Staff numbers |
|---|---|
| 1995— | 4,890 (Employment) |
| — | 1,630 (Education) |
| 1996— | 5,050 |
| 1997— | 4,480 |
| 1998— | 4,500 |
| 1999— | 4,560 |
| 2000— | 4,970 |
| 2001— | 5,430 |
| 2002— | 4,820 |
7 Nov 2002 : Column 720W
Public Consultations
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what public consultations have been commenced by his Department in each month since 10th July; and what the (a) start date, (b) closing date and (c) website address of each were. [80266]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: A list of the public consultations undertaken by my Department since 10 July, 2002 is attached. Information includes the start dates and closing dates as requested. The website address for all public consultations is www.dfes.gov.uk.consultations.
Departmental Funding (Huntingdon)
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the projects to which his Department has allocated funding in the Huntingdon Constituency since 1997, indicating the amount in each case. [79565]
Mr. Charles Clarke: My Department does not allocate funding at constituency level. The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Details of overall allocations for all my departmental programmes are listed at table 4.2 in the Departmental Annual Report.
Online Centres
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many United Kingdom online centres (a) have been and (b) are intended to be established in Scotland. [80062]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK online centres initiative is administered by the Department for Education and Skills and covers England only. The devolved administration in Scotland has an equivalent project details of which can be found on their website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/
LEA Costs
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his answer of 23 October, Official Report, column 383W, on LEA costs, what, in real terms, was (a) the total cash not devolved by each LEA to schools and (b) the total cash spent by the LEA on its staff and other overheads and administration, in each year from 1996–97 to 2002–03; what the annual real growth rate of such expenditure was in each LEA; and if he will make a statement. [80248]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member when I am able to reply and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
7 Nov 2002 : Column 721W
Bramwood County Primary School
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he expects to be able to give Surrey County Council section 77 consent in respect of approval for sale of the former Bramwood County Primary School in Surrey. [80234]
Mr. Miliband: The Department has no record of a Bramwood County Primary School in Surrey. The Department has, however, received an application from Surrey County Council for the Secretary of State's consent to sell the site of the former Barnwood Primary School. The application will be considered by the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel as soon as Surrey County Council provides the additional information that has been requested.
Criminal Records Bureau
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the abolition of Criminal Records Bureau checks for school governors. [80038]
Mr. Miliband: In the light of the continuing problems being encountered by the Criminal Records Bureau, checks on school governors have been suspended for the foreseeable future. General advice was posted on the Department's School Governors' website on Monday 4 November. Further guidance for registered bodies will be issued shortly.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what amendment he intends to make to the School Governance (Constitution) Regulations to abolish the requirement for Criminal Records Bureau checks. [80037]
Mr. Miliband: The School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2003 are currently out for consultation. The suggested wording in Schedule 6 on disqualifying governors from holding, or continuing to hold, office is triggered by an individual's refusal to agree to an application being made for a criminal records certificate when a request is made. While this wording does not in itself require all governors or potential governors to automatically undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check we will consider whether this disqualification should be removed or reworded before the Regulations are laid next spring.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many school governors have (a) received and (b) not received a Criminal Records Bureau check. [80036]
Mr. Miliband: Information on the number of newly appointed and re-appointed school governors who either have received or have not received a Criminal Records Bureau check is not routinely collected by the Department.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when his Department will publish guidance to registered bodies about the postponement of Criminal Records Bureau checks as set out in the announcement made on 1 November. [80020]
7 Nov 2002 : Column 722W
Mr. Miliband: In the light of the continuing problems being encountered by the Criminal Records Bureau, checks on school governors have been suspended for the foreseeable future. General advice was posted on the Department's School Governors' website on Monday 4 November. Further guidance for registered bodies will be issued shortly.
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many school days were lost owing to teachers being unable to gain clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau before the first day of this school year in (a) Cambridgeshire and (b) East of England. [79564]
Mr. Miliband: We do not hold this information.
School Staff (Legal Actions)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will make a statement on the settlement reached in the case of Higginson v. Cheshire County Council; [79973]
- (2) what guidance he has given to LEAs on informing governing bodies of the outcome of legal actions involving the authority and past or present members of a school's staff: and if he will make a statement. [79974]
Mr. Miliband: The conclusion reached in the case of Higginson versus Cheshire County Council is a matter for the parties concerned. My Department has not, to the best of my knowledge, issued advice to LEAs on disclosure of the outcomes of legal actions to governing bodies where such actions involve members of school staff.
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