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Work Placements

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many university students her Department and associated

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agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees. [98544]

Alun Michael: Defra and our associated agencies have supported thirty-eight student work placements within the last year.

The Department's policy is to encourage work placements and to advertise opportunities in the Cabinet Office 'Work Experience in the Civil Service' booklet which is circulated to universities.

Within this policy students are paid whilst on a work placement within the Department; university fees are not paid.

EDUCATION

Children Fund (Leeds)

Mr. John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been received by Leeds city council from the children fund since its inception; how funds were allocated, broken down by project; what posts have been funded and by how much; and in which organisations these posts arise. [96963]

Mr. Denham: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Community Cohesion

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken within the education and youth services to ensure community cohesion; and if he will make a statement. [94589]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We understand the vital importance of education in developing community cohesion, and in recognition of this, the Department of Education and Skills worked closely with the Home Office, the Local Government Association and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to produce the recent Guidance on Community Cohesion. The Guidance will assist local authorities, along with other local agencies, in identifying the practical steps they can take to build community cohesion at local level. The Guidance sets out the vital role that education, the youth service and the Connexions service can play in building cohesive communities. Equality of opportunity is a basic principle of youth work and a foundation of community cohesion.

The Government want local authorities to deliver substantial improvements to their Youth Services. On 18 December I launched a document entitled "Transforming Youth Work: Resourcing Excellent Youth Services". This document set out, for the first time, the Government's specification for an excellent Youth Service and highlighted the resources available for this task. It recognises that when young people become disaffected the consequences are often a drift into anti-social behaviour and crime. It emphasises the Government's determination to achieve social justice and economic success for all citizens.

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Delivery Unit

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) when the Permanent Secretary in his Department last met members of the Delivery Unit; [94356]

(2) when Ministers from his Department last met (a) the Prime Minister and (b) his officials to discuss targets set by the Delivery Unit; and what plans there are for further meetings; [94360]

(3) which Ministers and officials from his Department have visited areas outside London accompanied by members of the Delivery Unit; [94353]

(4) what targets have been set for his Department by the Delivery Unit since June 2001; and what progress has been made in meeting such targets; [94361]

(5) how many officials in his Department have been assigned to do specific work (a) with and (b) for the Delivery Unit since June 2001; [94349]

(6) if he will list the reports he has made since June 2001 to the Delivery Unit; [94355]

(7) how many reports his Department has been commissioned to produce by the Delivery Unit in the next (a) 12 and (b) 24 months; [94347]

(8) when Ministers from his Department last met members of the Delivery Unit; and on how many occasions since its establishment Ministers have met members of the Unit; [94363]

(9) which announcements made by his Department since June 2001 were cleared in advance with the Delivery Unit. [94351]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: I am responsible for meeting the Department's Public Service Agreement targets (PSA) as set out in Cm 5571, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

The Delivery Unit was established to strengthen the capacity of Whitehall to deliver the Government's key objectives. It works with the Department to help us deliver our PSA targets, and we are in regular contact with members of the Unit.

Information about internal meetings is not disclosed under Exemption 2 of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information".

Education Authorities (Insurance)

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will make a statement on personal insurance cover for teachers in schools; [88972]

(2) how many education authorities in England and Wales have an insurance policy which covers claims for compensation from a teacher who has sustained a personal assault from a pupil or parent; and which authorities they are. [88973]

Mr. Miliband: Insurance arrangements in schools are determined locally. Local education authorities may fund insurance for schools centrally, and in that case may determine the extent and type of cover, including

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the extent to which individual teachers will be insured. The Department does not collect details of authorities' insurance arrangements.

We will shortly be publishing an insurance guide for schools. This will contain practical advice for schools about levels and types of insurance cover.

Federations of Schools

Mr. Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his proposals for federations of schools involve a combined admissions system; and if he will make a statement. [98904]

Mr. Miliband: No, federations of schools will not have a combined admissions system. Federation will not affect parents' admission rights or choices. It will help schools work together and support each other and will be based on local demand not national imposition. The Education Act 2002 specifically excludes admissions from the cases in which federated schools may be treated as a single school. Even where federations involve schools having a single governing body, the schools will still be separate and parents will express preferences for the individual schools.

Printing Costs

Mr. Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of printing departmental (a) Green and (b) White Papers in each year since 1997; and how many of each of those papers were printed. [94919]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The costs of printing Green and White Papers are met by the publishers, The Stationery Office (TSO). Information relating to these costs, and the number of copies printed is not disclosed under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. An exception to this was the recent White Paper "The Future of Higher Education". Due to extremely tight production schedules, it was agreed with TSO that the Department would manage the print process and meet printing costs, providing TSO with copies for their commercial outlets.

The costs of printing 16,000 copies of "The Future of Higher Education" was £48,600.

Teacher Pensions

Mr. Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to remove the lump sum payment from teachers' final pension package; and if he will make a statement. [100127]

Mr. Miliband: In common with all public service pension schemes, the provisions of the Teachers' Pension Scheme are being reviewed in the light of the Pensions Green Paper, "Simplicity, security and choice: Working and Saving for Retirement". There are, however, no plans to remove the lump sum element of the retirement package available to teachers.

Vehicle Fleets

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made, by (a) volume and (b) percentage for each (i) category of

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vehicle, (ii) type of power unit and (iii) type of fuel, on an annual basis, over each of the past three years, in renewal of his Department's vehicle fleet on a lower emission basis. [96445]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 20 February 2003.

SCOTLAND

Accountancy Profession

Mr. Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations she has received from organisations representing the accountancy profession in Scotland as to the use of the term Accountant. [100029]

Mrs. Liddell: I have received no recent representations as to the use of the term Accountant.

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