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5 Feb 2003 : Column 348W—continued

Seaside and Country Homes Scheme

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many properties used by the Seaside and Country Homes scheme in 1979 were subsequently transferred to (a) the local housing authority and (b) sold on the open market. [95138]

Mr. McNulty: None.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applicants were on the waiting list for a nomination to a property under the Seaside and Country Homes scheme in each year since 1979: and what the average length of time was between an application for rehousing under the Seaside and Country Homes scheme and nomination to a property in each year since 1979. [95140]

Mr. McNulty: On 31 March 2002 there were 450 people on the waiting list and this had risen to 562 by 31 December 2002. Historical figures have not been kept.

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The average length of time for rehousing under the Seaside and Country Homes scheme was:


Management of the Seaside and Country Homes was taken over by HOMES in July 1999 and figures prior to this are not held centrally.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to promote the Seaside and Country Homes scheme more widely to tenants in the social rented sector. [95142]

Mr. McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to promote the scheme, except as part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's general promotion of housing mobility related opportunities. However management of the scheme will move from HOMES to the Housing and Employment Mobility Services (HEMS). We are in discussions with bidders for HEMS as to how they might promote Seaside and Country Homes and other mobility initiatives to achieve the maximum number of moves.

Spring Supplementary Estimates

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the uses were of the change in spending in the Spring Supplementary Estimates 2001–02, Cm5354, section 1, subsection xix under sub head A1; and if he will make a statement. [92794]

Mr. Alexander: I have been asked to reply.

Funding was provided to strengthen the Government's ability to deliver change in the public services and to enhance security arrangements and the resilience of communications systems, following the terrorist attacks of 11 September.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Skills (Consultation Process)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to commence public consultation on the proposals outlined in the Strategy Unit Report In Demand: Adult Skills in the 21st Century-Part 2. [94033]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are no plans to conduct a formal public consultation on the report, which is a statement of cross-Government policy. However, there was widespread involvement of interested parties following the publication in December 2001 of the first report and in preparing the second report. Many of the proposals in the report will be taken forward in the Skills Strategy, to be published in June, on which there has already been consultation through Regional Skills Summits, and through DTI's current review of innovation, which will involve consulting with a wide range of stakeholders.

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Modern Apprenticeships (Warrington, North)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people in the Warrington, North constituency who are undertaking modern apprenticeship schemes. [94372]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 30 January 2003]: On 28 July 2002, there were nearly 550 people living in the Warrington, North constituency on advanced modern apprenticeships or foundation modern apprenticeships in England.

Nursery Schools

David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's targets are for nursery school places for each local education authority; and how many local education authorities have met this target. [92850]

Maria Eagle: Since 1998 all local education authorities (LEAs) have been under a statutory duty to provide a free part-time nursery education place for all four year olds whose parents want one. Funding for three year olds provision was made available in 1999. A PSA target was set for increasing the number of nursery places for three year olds to 66 per cent. by March 2002, this target was met in advance of the agreed date. Significant progress has been made to achieving universal provision for three year olds, currently around 70 per cent. of three year olds are able to access a free place.

65 of the most deprived local education authorities already offer a free place to all three year olds whose parents want one, these are listed below. The remaining authorities are responsible for devising eligibility criteria for the distribution of free places in their area according to social need.

The Secretary of State recently announced that all three year olds will be entitled to receive a free place from April 2004. This is six months earlier than our manifesto commitment of September 2004.

From 2003–04, Nursery Education Grant funding is being transferred into Education Formula Spending as part of an overall £500 million transfer of DfES grant funding into general funding. A total of £319 million Nursery Education Grant will be added to the Under fives sub-block. We have also updated the baseline we use to calculate the control totals for the schools sub-blocks which has resulted in a further substantial increase to the Under fives sub-block.

Local authorities at universal provision


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Schools (Chorley)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how much investment has been made in schools in Chorley since 1997; [94907]

Mr. Miliband: The following table shows the education standard spending assessment (ESSA), and total DfES revenue and capital grants allocated to Lancashire local education authority for the financial years 1998–99 and 2002–03. The local government reorganisation means that data for financial year 1997–98 does not conform to current boundaries so comparable figures are not available. 2002–03 figures are to date and provisional. It is not possible to identify separately the amounts for individual constituencies.

Education standard spending assessment, revenue and capital grant
£

1998–99 (cash)2002–03 (cash)Cash change
Total ESSA444,776,000534,997,000+90,221,000
ESSA per pupil2,4902,990+500
Total revenue grant18,921,17085,415,020+66,493,850
Revenue per pupil40360+320
Total capital grant14,950,00051,519,000+36,569,000
Capital per pupil107294+187

Notes:

1. ESSA figures exclude funding for 4-year-olds at private, voluntary, and independent institutions.

2. Revenue grant figures include school standards grant, standards fund, nursery education grant, Teachers Pay Reform grant and Education Action Zone funding.

3. The pupil numbers used are the maintained pupils underlying the ESSA settlement calculations.

4. 2002–03 ESSA figures include an element for LSC allocations in respect of sixth forms.

Service Delivery Agreement

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the (a) Sure Start, (b) Childcare and (c) Early Years service delivery agreements for 2003 to 2006 will be published. [94116]

Maria Eagle: A single service delivery agreement will cover the work of the Sure Start Unit, which embraces Sure Start local programmes, early years and childcare issues. It will be published shortly.

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