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24 Feb 2003 : Column 346W—continued
Secondary Schools (Haltemprice and Howden)
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the class sizes for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Haltemprice and Howden in each of the last five academic years. [94304]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The information requested is shown in the table:
| Maintained primary schools | Maintained secondary schools | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 27.2 | 22.0 |
| 2001 | 27.7 | 21.6 |
| 2000 | 28.2 | 22.7 |
| 1999 | 28.7 | 22.9 |
| 1998 | 29.3 | 22.8 |
(82) One teacher classes
Skill Shortages (Suffolk)
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the skill shortages experienced by employers in Suffolk. [97384]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My Department has funded a number of surveys of employers to assess their current and future skill needs. The Employers Skill Survey, funded by my Department, interviewed 27,000 employers across England in 1999 and in 2001, and was carried out on a smaller scale in 2002. The survey results provide evidence on trends in skill shortages, including headline measures at the level of local Learning and Skills Council boundaries.
The role of assessing detailed skill needs in regions and localities is the responsibility of Regional Development Agencies and the Learning and Skills Council respectively. However, the Employers Skill Survey 2001 showed that 2.1 per cent. of employers in Suffolk reported skill shortages compared to 3.7 per cent. across England as a whole.
Skills Training
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the forthcoming review of the funding of adult education will include a review of provision for those private individuals who fund their own skills training. [97958]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Review of Funding of Adult Learning has a remit to consider all funding for adult learning post 19, including how the Government's various support mechanisms for learning could be more
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effectively deployed to provide incentives to employers to engage in training; cause institutions to be responsive to employer needs, building their capacity to work with employers; widen participation in learning by the low skilled; and enable Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to play their full and effective role in developing and implementing regional skills strategies. The outcomes of the Review will form part of the Skills Strategy, to be published in June 2003.
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance he intends to give to private individuals who meet the cost of skills training from their own resources as opposed to their employer's; and if he will make a statement. [97959]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government is not yet in a position to make a statement about the assistance that will be given to private individuals meeting the costs of learning. As part of the fundamental Review of the Funding of Adult Learning that is currently being undertaken, we are looking at all possible options for funding the acquisition of skills, from the points of view of both individuals and employers. The outcomes of the Review will form part of the Skills Strategy, to be published in June 2003. The Strategy will set out how different government programmes and policies will contribute to raising the skills of the population.
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received from learning providers about (a) the need for higher level IT skills and (b) the Government's policy on this issue. [97965]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have not received any significant representations from learning providers on the need for higher level skills in the Information Technology (IT) sector in recent months. However, we remain aware of their ongoing importance and committed to the policies we have introduced to meet these needs. Skills deficits in the sector have declined from their peak in 1999 when the Stevens report, "Skills for the Information Age" highlighted these issues. Since that time, an £8 million programme of measures has been put in place to improve the image of the IT industry, build greater understanding of the labour market and strengthen links between education and industry.
Recent developments include establishing New Technology Institutes to provide high quality teaching facilities and progression routes into honours degrees, based on partnership between universities, colleges and employers. And currently, e-skills-UK are in the final stages of development to becoming the Sector Skills Council for the industry. They will provide a vital lead in articulating employers' requirements and helping to ensure there is high quality and relevant provision available.
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the skills strategy about which he has recently consulted will include provision to encourage private individuals to meet the costs of their own skills training in higher level IT skills and other skill areas. [97966]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government will publish the Skills Strategy in June 2003; one element of that Strategy will be the consideration of how individuals can
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be encouraged to meet the costs of learning at higher levels. The Review of Funding of Adult Learning—the outcomes of which will feed into the Skills Strategy—is currently considering ICT issues, including how ICT skills might be delivered, and how training to acquire those skills might be supported through funding.
Social Policy Research
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evaluation has been made of social policy research commissioned by Government agencies at (a) the University of York and (b) other universities; and if he will make a statement. [94591]
Margaret Hodge: The Department evaluates all its research projects using systematic criteria. The process also includes holding feedback meetings with research contractors after completion and publication of the contracted work. The findings from research link directly to departmental policy development and programme evaluation.
The Department has run five projects with the University of York in the last four years. Four projects have been completed and have fully met the Department's requirements. The fifth is still in progress.
Information received from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) states that
"The ESRC evaluates all of its research projects using systematic criteria". Since 1990, the council has funded 301 social policy research projects at UK universities, including 12 projects at the University of York. All this work has been evaluated by the ESRC's research evaluation committee, and the results have been used to guide the development of the council's research strategy.
Margaret Hodge: The Department has no plans to expand its research in any particular region.
The Department's research projects are normally commissioned through competitive tendering exercises. Universities across the UK, as well as other research organisations are invited to express an interest in tendering for individual research projects through the Department's research website. Contractors are then invited to submit a tender.
In the financial year 2002–03 the Department has 84 projects contracted to universities with a total contract value of £20 million.
Information received from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) states that
"The ESRC will continue to fund social policy research through its grant awarding boards and has no plans to allocate funds on a regional basis."
Special Needs
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are enrolled in special needs education establishments; and how many
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schools with special needs provision there are (a) in England and Wales and (b) in each local education authority. [96625]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
The information provided includes the number of special schools and the number of pupils in those schools. It also includes the number of pupils with a statement of Special Education Needs (SEN) and the number of pupils with SEN, but without a statement in maintained primary and secondary schools. In keeping with the SEN Code of Practice 2001 the special educational needs of children will normally be met in mainstream schools or settings.
For information on Wales I refer the hon. Member to the Welsh Assembly.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual total cost is of special needs education in England and Wales, broken down by local education authority. [96626]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held by the Department in this form. The following table details the amount each LEA spends on SEN funding as reported in its Section 52 BudgetStatement. This includes the LEA central spend and the amount delegated to schools that is notionally for SEN. Information is also given showing how much each LEA receives through SEN Standards Fund grant:
Funding provided by LEAs for SEN in England in 2002–03
All figures as reported by LEAs through their Section 52 budget statements at 6 February 2003.
(83) Includes from Table 1: Total central spend by LEAs on SEN which covers Educational Pyschology Service/Assessments and statementing, provision for pupils with statements, specialist support: Pupils with and without statements, promoting good practice/collaboration/integration; and ISB for special schools.
(84) Also includes from Table 2A of the budget statement funding delegated to primary and secondary schools identified as "notional SEN" (figures are only indicative of the amount that might be spent by schools on SEN).
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Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure special needs provision is available for children with autism; and if he will make a statement. [96803]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Schools and local education authorities have duties under the Education Act 1996 to identify, assess and make suitable provision for children with special educational needs, including those with autism. Provision for children with autism is made in mainstream schools with support; autism units attached to maintained schools; generic special schools; independent, non-maintained or maintained autism specialist schools or through home-based provision.
To help schools, local education authorities and others develop and audit appropriate provision, my Department, in partnership with the Department of Health, published good practice guidance on autistic spectrum disorders last year. Among other things, this reflected the work of the Department for Education
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and Skills-funded West Midlands SEN Regional Partnership which has been focusing on a regional, multi-agency approach to creating a range of provision to meet the range of autistic children's needs.
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