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6 May 2003 : Column 628W—continued
Taxation
Mr. Bacon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on which taxes have risen since 1997. [111476]
Dawn Primarolo: All changes to taxation since 1997 are set out in the relevant Financial Statement and Budget Reports, which are available in the library of the House.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Connexions
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff were employed in the Connexions Service National Unit at the time of its establishment; and what the number is now [110196]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Connexions Service National Unit was set up between July 2000, when the Chief Executive took up post, and April 2001, when the first Connexions Partnerships went live. There were 168 staff in post on 01 April 2001.
As well as supporting the delivery of Connexions, CSNU also has responsibility for other Youth Support Services such as Millennium Volunteers, Neighbourhood Support Fund, the Voluntary and Statutory Youth Service. More recently, the Unit has also assumed responsibility for implementation of the DfES volunteering strategy; the DfES strategy on involving children and young people (Listening to Learn); the department's relationship with the voluntary and community sector (including the cross cutting review of the voluntary sector with HMT and Home Office) and the Summer/Diversionary Activities Programme. There are currently 187 staff in post.
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Overseas Pupils
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children of parents from overseas with permission to study in the UK are being educated in maintained schools. [109726]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: From the most recent statistics available, in the academic year 2001/02, there were 193,849 full-time and 37,796 part-time undergraduate and post graduate overseas students at UK universities and colleges. It is not possible to determine how many of these students have children because there is no requirement on local education authorities to provide the Department with this information.
Apprenticeships
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people enrolled in programmes of advanced and foundation modern apprenticeships in the three months prior to 1 January 2003; and how many people were in programmes on that date. [111282]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The latest information on starts is for the period from August 2002 to October 2002. This information, along with the number of learners on modern apprenticeship programmes on 1 November 2002 is given in the following table:
| FMA | AMA | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts from August to October 2002 | 45,900 | 22,600 | 68,500 |
| In Learning on 1 November 2002 | 120,800 | 113,300 | 234,100 |
Beacon Schools
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have (a) become Beacon schools and (b) lost Beacon status in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [110141]
Mr. Miliband: The Beacon programme was introduced in September 1998. The programme started with 75 schools, increasing to almost 1,150 schools in six subsequent expansion phases by September 2002. 34 schools have since left the programme for various reasons. A detailed breakdown is contained in a table, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.
Bullying
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had with representatives of teachers and lecturers about teachers and lecturers being bullied by colleagues or parents of students; and what action he intends to take. [110549]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets representatives of the teacher unions regularly and various issues are discussed in the meetings.
We are very concerned to help schools and colleges prevent all bullying. Teachers, lecturers and students all have a right to work in an atmosphere free from intimidation and harassment. We have made available
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"A Legal Toolkit for Schools" which gives advice on remedies available when teachers are facing threatening or abusive behaviour from other adults. The Government also have a commitment to continue to work with managers and employees to address problems caused by bullying in the workplace, from employers or fellow employees, on which my colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry lead.
Class Sizes
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average infant class size in Buckinghamshire was in each year since 1997. [110321]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The available figures are shown in the table.
| Average infant class size | ||
|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire local education authority | ||
| 1998 | 27.3 | |
| 1999(21) | 23.6 | |
| 2000 | 23.2 | |
| 2001 | 23.4 | |
| 2002 | 23.8 | |
(21) Less than 95 per cent. of expected returns were received in this year.
Source:
September Class Size Count
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the annual report of her Department will be published. [107882]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The spring 2003 departmental reports are to be published between 28 April and 16 May 2003. We will publish our departmental report within this window, and are aiming for 14 May 2003.
Education Settlement
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills from which schools he has received representations about this year's education settlement, broken down by education authority. [111275]
Mr. Miliband: The Department for Education and Skills has received a large amount of correspondence concerning education budgets for the current financial year from both schools and local education authorities, as it does each year. It is not possible to collate this information without incurring disproportionate cost.
Further and Higher Education
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds in the Hemsworth constituency in education have gone on to (a) further education and (b) higher education in each of the last five years; what percentage these figures represent of the total number in the area; and what the national average was for such persons. [109866]
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Margaret Hodge [holding answer 28 April 2003]: The information is as follows:
(a) Data on the percentage of students participating in post-compulsory education is not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs as reliable estimates cannot be made. Participation rates at sub-national level are only available for 16 and 17-year-olds.
Hemsworth constituency is part of Wakefield LEA. The percentage of 16 and 17-year-olds participating in full-time further education for Wakefield LEA and England in each of the last five years for which data are available, is set out in the table.
| Year end | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |||
| 16-year-olds | Wakefield LEA | 64 | 70 | 64 | 69 | 67 | |
| England | 70 | 70 | 70 | 71 | 71 | ||
| 17-year-olds | Wakefield LEA | 53 | 50 | 51 | 51 | 54 | |
| England | 57 | 57 | 57 | 58 | 58 | ||
Note:
Population data do not include any revisions following the 2001 census.
Source:
DfES Statistical Bulletin, published 16 December 2002
Participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17-year-olds are published in an annual statistical bulletin, "Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17-Year-Olds in Each Local Area in England". This bulletin is available on the departmental website www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics.
(b) Figures for the number of students who enter higher education are not collated centrally on a constituency basis. Hemsworth constituency is part of Wakefield LEA. The proportion of students domiciled in Wakefield LEA and England, aged 18 and accepted through UCAS to full- time undergraduate courses in the UK is given in the table.
| 17-year-old population | 18-year-olds accepted to HE | Proportion entering higher education (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield LEA | |||
| Autumn 1997 entry | 3,800 | 656 | 17.1 |
| Autumn 1998 entry | 4,000 | 682 | 17.2 |
| Autumn 1999 entry | 3,800 | 595 | 15.5 |
| Autumn 2000 entry | 3,900 | 610 | 15.8 |
| Autumn 2001 entry | 4,000 | 749 | 18.8 |
| England | |||
| Autumn 1997 entry | 601,100 | 123,070 | 20.5 |
| Autumn 1998 entry | 619,700 | 124,087 | 20.0 |
| Autumn 1999 entry | 612,100 | 122,640 | 20.0 |
| Autumn 2000 entry | 601,000 | 123,618 | 20.6 |
| Autumn 2001 entry | 610,900 | 131,254 | 21.5 |
Note:
Participation rates have been calculated using the 17-year-old population from the previous year to reduce the distortion caused to LEA populations by the migration of students to their place of study. Accepted applicants with unknown English domiciles are excluded from the figures. Population figures relate to persons aged 17 at 31 August in the year prior to entry, counts taken at the following 1 January; accepted applicants are aged 18 at 30 September in the year of entry.
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Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds in Shrewsbury and Atcham are in further education. [109686]
Margaret Hodge: Data on the percentage of students staying on in full-time education are not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs, as reliable estimates cannot be made. Participation rates at sub-national level are only available for 16 and 17-year-olds.
Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency is part of Shropshire LEA. The percentage of 16 and 17-year-olds participating in further education and training for Shropshire LEA in 2000, the latest year for which figures are available, is set out in the table. Separate figures are shown for those in full-time further education, and those in further education or Government Supported Training.
| Full-time education | Total education and training(22) | |
|---|---|---|
| 16-year-olds | 72 | 87 |
| 17-year-olds | 62 | 79 |
| 16 and 17-year-olds combined | 67 | 83 |
(22) Includes participation in full and part-time further education qualifications, and in Government Supported Training, counting those in both education and Government Supported Training only once.
Note:
Population data do not include any revisions following the 2001 census.
Source:
DfES Statistical Bulletin, published 16 December 2002.
Participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17-year-olds are published in an annual statistical bulletin, "Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in Each Local Area in England".
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students in college in Shrewsbury and Atcham successfully completed their further education courses in the last year for which figures are available. [109687]
Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in exactly the format asked for, but retention and achievement rates are available. Figures on retention and achievement for further education institutions are published by the Learning and Skills Council. Figures in the following table show further education institutions in Shrewsbury and Atcham. Additionally, the table also covers other further education institutions in the Shropshire Learning and Skills Council area. The table covers 2000/01, the latest year for which data are available.
In-year retention rates measure the percentage of those students who, having enrolled on a learning programme of at least 12 weeks duration, continue to attend at the end of the qualification or the end of the
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teaching year (31 July), whichever is sooner. Separate information is shown for full-time full-year (described as full-time), and full-time part-year and part-time students (jointly described as part-time).
6 May 2003 : Column 634W
Achievement rates measure the total number of qualification aims achieved, expressed as a percentage of the total number of qualification aims for which students have completed the learning programmes.
| In-year retention rates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000/01 | Full-time | Part-time | Achievement rate | |
| Further education institutions in Shrewsbury and Atcham | ||||
| Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology | 87 | 88 | 81 | |
| Shrewsbury Sixth Form College | 97 | 92 | 91 | |
| Other FE institutions in Shropshire Learning and Skills Council | ||||
| Ludlow College | 97 | 86 | 81 | |
| New College, Telford | 92 | 88 | 81 | |
| Telford College of Arts and Technology | 89 | 87 | 87 | |
| Walford and North Shropshire College | 89 | 84 | 92 | |
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average level of funding was for each student in each college in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997. [109688]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual repayment of debt (a) to the Student Loans Company and (b) to others was of a higher education student graduating in each year since 1997. [105944]
Margaret Hodge: Borrowers become liable to repay their loans from the April after they finish or leave their course, depending on their earnings. Students who started their course before academic year 1998/99 repay their loans on a mortgage style basis. The table shows the average repayment of mortgage style student loans in financial years 1999–2000 to 2001–02 (the latest year available) for borrowers who became liable to repay their loans in the financial years 1998–99 to 2001–02 and who are making repayments; the table excludes any voluntary repayments made by borrowers before becoming liable to repay their loans.
Students who started their course from the 1998/99 academic year will repay income contingent loans. Repayments of income contingent loans, apart from voluntary repayments and repayments from overseas borrowers, are made through the tax system. The scheme started in April 2000 and details of repayments are notified to the Student Loans Company by the Inland Revenue from the end of the relevant financial year. Therefore complete data on the average repayment of income contingent loans are not yet available.
| Financial yearentered repayment | Mortgage style student loans(23),(24)–Averagerepayments made during financial year(25),(26),(27) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| status(28),(29) | 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
| 1998–99 | 530 | 580 | 610 |
| 1999–2000 | 490 | 600 | 650 |
| 2000–01 | (30)— | 570 | 680 |
| 2001–02 | (30)— | (30)— | 640 |
(23) Loans available to borrowers who entered higher education before academic year 1998/99, and those who entered in 1998/99 to whom the existing arrangements applied. These loans are repayable on a fixed term basis, over 5 or 7 years depending on length of course, if the borrower's income exceeds the repayment threshold.
(24) Includes repayments on debts sold in the two portfolios of student loans which are administered by the Student Loans Company.
(25) Data are not available on repayments by cohort made in financial year 1998–99.
(26) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
(27) Excludes those who have made no repayment because of deferment.
(28) The table excludes any repayments made by borrowers before entering repayment status.
(29) Borrowers are liable to repay their loans from the April following their graduation or otherwise leaving their course.
(30) Not applicable.
Source:
Student Loans Company
Data on repayments of other debt for which there is no private subsidy, such as overdrafts, credit cards and informal debt to family and friends are not available centrally.
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 571–72W, on student fees, when the chief executive of HEFCE will supply the information about franchising arrangements. [109312]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 29 April 2003]: The Department has now received the most up-to-date information about students franchised from higher education institutions from HEFCE. The information has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the review of the possibility of post A-level entry to higher education will be completed. [110924]
Margaret Hodge: In response to the Tomlinson report into A-level standards, we said in the Higher Education White Paper that the Department for Education and Skills would work with higher education institutions, schools, colleges and awarding bodies to explore the way forward on this issue. Discussions are now taking place and are due to be completed later this year.
6 May 2003 : Column 635W
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the study by Professor Schwartz on assessment of the merit of applicants to higher education will be available. [110965]
Margaret Hodge: I will make an announcement shortly.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria will apply to fees review within the quinquennial access agreement term, with particular reference to the position of existing students. [110928]
Margaret Hodge: The access agreement will set out how the institution plans to evolve its variable fee
6 May 2003 : Column 636W
policies over the duration of the agreement. If an institution wants to make changes beyond those already noted in the access agreement, it will notify the Office for Fair Access OFFA—which, depending on the scale or extent of the change proposed, will decide whether to call in the proposal for reconsideration.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the unit of funding was for each student in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03; and what the planned figure is for 2003–04 at 2001–02 prices. [107995]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 9 April 2003]: The figures for publicly planned funding per full time equivalent student in higher education at 2001 prices and in cash terms are shown in the table.
| 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | (32)2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly planned funding per FTE real terms 2001 prices | 4,980 | 5,020 | 5,050 | 5,200 |
| Publicly planned funding per FTE cash terms | 4,860 | 5,020 | 5,170 | 5,450 |
(31) Rounded to the nearest 10.
(32) Plans
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans to substitute the harmonised European inflation index for the retail prices index in the calculation of liabilities for student loans. [110883]
Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
There is no change proposed in our calculation of liabilities for student loans.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans to offer the raised income threshold for student loans available from April 2005 to existing income-contingent loans. [110930]
Margaret Hodge: The proposed change in the income threshold for repaying income-contingent loans from £10,000 to £15,000 in April 2005 will benefit existing borrowers and new students. It will benefit existing graduates because those earning below £15,000, will no longer be liable to make repayments, and those earning above £15,000 will have a reduction in their repayments.
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance the new Office for Fair Access will issue on admissions procedures for universities; [110106]
- (2) what measures the Office for Fair Access will use to enforce guidance it issues on admissions. [110090]
Margaret Hodge: Individual universities' admissions policies and procedures will be outside the remit of the access agreement and the Office for Fair Access (OFFA). We have asked Professor Schwartz, Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University, to lead a team to identify good practice in admissions. We expect one of the results of this work to be a statement of principles about admissions which we hope all universities will adopt. Those wishing to charge a higher tuition fee will wish to demonstrate to OFFA that they subscribe to these principles.
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