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Area Child Protection Committees

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to put Area Child Protection Committees on a statutory footing. [121620]

Mr. Miliband: The Joint Chief Inspectors' report, "Safeguarding Children", published in October 2002, recommends that the Department of Health should review the current arrangements for Area Child Protection Committees. The substantive response to the Joint Chief Inspectors' report, together with that to the Victoria Climbie Inquiry report, will be published as part of the Green Paper on Children at Risk.

Arson

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many malicious fires relating to maintained school premises there have been in each year since 1997 (a) by LEA and (b) as a proportion of all maintained schools across England and Wales. [119438]

Mr. Miliband: The Department does not collect these figures.

Breakfast Clubs

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is available to schools to provide breakfast clubs for children in poor socio-economic areas. [120467]

Mr. Miliband: Breakfast clubs are available in a number of schools as part of study support or childcare provision, and will form an important element in our extended schools programme. They promote healthy eating, can offer learning opportunities, and help working parents by providing a safe environment for their children.

My Department assists breakfast clubs through the Standards Fund grant for study support (out-of-school-hours learning). This amounts to £75 million this year, including a 'top up' element going to Excellence in Cities areas. Our new Sure Start Out of School Programme will also be available from August to fund new childcare places, including breakfast provision. We have announced plans to provide over 63 million in the next three years to create 96,000 new out of school places. Nearly half of these places would be in disadvantaged areas where funding would be available for up to three years.

In addition breakfast clubs can be supported through the National Healthy Schools Standard, the New Opportunities Fund, voluntary organisations and commercial sponsorship, such the scheme run by Education Extra and sponsored by Kellogg. In disadvantaged areas, regeneration and neighbourhood renewal funding may be available. Schools can also fund breakfast clubs from other programmes or from their own budgets.

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Car Parking (Schools)

Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost per space of providing car parking places within school grounds. [120450]

Mr. Miliband: The Department does not publish any official guide costs for parking places, but it is estimated that the cost per space is currently in the range £2,000–£4,000 per place depending on the layout of the car park and ground conditions.

Classrooms

Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of constructing standard classrooms of 50 square metres. [120451]

Mr. Miliband: A single standalone classroom of traditional construction of 50 square metres including fitting out and design fees could be in the range £80,000–£90,000 at current costs. The cost will vary according to geographical region.

Criminal Records Bureau

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost of an individual Criminal Records Bureau check incurred by schools has been. [119430]

Mr. Miliband: The cost of a CRB check falls to individuals: schools which decide to pay their fee are expected to meet this cost from within their existing budgets. The fee for both Standard and Enhanced Disclosures is currently 12. Disclosures for volunteers are free of charge. From 1 July Standard Disclosures will cost £24 and Enhanced Disclosures £29. Disclosures for volunteers will remain free of charge.

Drugs (Schools)

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans he has to introduce random drug testing in schools; and what assessment has been made of levels of drug taking in schools, and its effects; [121517]

(2) what punishment may be given to pupils found to have (a) dealt drugs and (b) taken drugs on school premises; and if he will make a statement on measures taken since 1997 to reduce drug abuse in schools; [121518]

(3) what lessons on the dangers of drugs and drug taking are given to school pupils as a part of the curriculum; and what assessment he has made of the value this form of information. [121519]

Mr. Miliband: Drug education should be a part of every school's curriculum. There is a statutory requirement for drug education in the National Curriculum Science Order. Pupils should be taught about the role of drugs as medicines; the effects on the human body of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, and how these relate to their personal health and how the abuse of alcohol, solvents, tobacco and other drugs affects health. This represents the statutory minimum. Schools are expected to use the non-statutory frameworks for PSHE and Citizenship at key stages 1

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and 2, PSHE at key stages 3 and 4 and the Citizenship programme of study at key stages 3 and 4 as the context for developing drug education. We believe drug education in schools has an essential role to play in enabling pupils to develop their knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding about drugs.

Since 1997, we have taken a range of measures to tackle drug misuse in schools. We have allocated over £68 million to support drug alcohol and tobacco education and prevention in schools, including £17.5 million this year. From April 2001, we have supported the appointment of Schools Drug Advisors to help them deliver drug education and support tailored to the needs of pupils. We have supported the development of training packages to support professionals deliver effective drug education. We are also supporting a national five year research programme called "Blueprint" to test the effectiveness of drug education initiatives in schools. It will make a significant contribution to developing a UK evidence based for drug, alcohol and tobacco education.

It is for schools in full consultation with local partners, including the police, to decide on appropriate strategies, including drug testing, for detecting illegal drug possession or use by pupils. Where schools adopt such strategies they should make sure, in advance, that they have clear evidence of consent. We have offered guidance on this issue in the draft document "Drugs: Guidance for schools (April 2003)". The Department of Health conducts regular surveys on the level of drug taking among young people. Data on the levels of drug taking in schools is not collected separately. The adverse effects of drug taking among young people are well documented and are highlighted in the Government's "Updated Drug Strategy 2002".

Schools should develop a range of options for responding to the identified needs of those involved in a drug incident. These could range from early intervention work with pupils through to fixed period and permanent exclusions. The response should always be appropriate to the seriousness of the incident, the needs of the pupil, other pupils, the school and the community and be consistent with school rules. Responses to drug use and sanctions should be contained in the school's drug policy and be developed through wide consultation with members of the school community.

Early Literacy Programme

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 June 2003, Official Report, column 1022W, when he will place in the Library a copy of the Go Karts video of the Early Literacy Support programme. [121553]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2003, Official Report, column 1022W. I have also sent the hon. Member a copy of the video.

Higher Education

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the annual cost of the proposed Office of Fair Access. [119960]

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Alan Johnson [holding answer 17 June 2003]: This matter will be addressed in the explanatory notes which will be published when legislative proposals are presented to the House. We have proposed, in "Widening Participation in Higher Education" that OFFA will be separate from but supported by HEFCE.

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the revenue to be raised from tuition fees and top-up fees, between 2003 and 2010, (a) in gross terms and (b) net of assistance given to students from low income backgrounds, on the assumption that all universities charge the maximum top-up fees allowed each year. [119961]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 17 June 2003]: No such assessment has been made: it will be for universities to decide what level of fees they set from 2006/07 onwards, subject to a maximum fee of £3,000; and they will also decide what level of bursaries to offer, as required by their Access Agreements, which will require approval by the Office of Fair Access before they can raise their fees. The table sets out estimates of fee income per year using the following fixed data and assumptions: a standard tuition fee of £1,125; a maximum tuition fee of £3,000; estimated numbers of students; estimated grant for fee remission of £416 million. All figures are for students at English HE Institutions for 2003/04. The grant has been netted off against the standard fee income.

Fee income	(1)Gross(£ million)	(2)Net of fee remission(£ million)
From standard fee	847	431
Income if maximum fee charged	2,259	1,843
Additional from maximum fee	1,412	1,412

⁽¹⁾ Represents fee income to universities from the standard fee of £1,125, not including full time post graduates (apart from PGCE students).

⁽²⁾ Net of fee remission of £416 million (for undergraduate and Initial Teacher Training students at English HEIs). The new HE grant to be introduced in 2004/05 (£300 million for England and Wales) has not been netted off, and neither has spend on bursaries offered by universities under their access agreements.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his answer of 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 215W, when he plans to publish the Regulatory Impact Assessment; what plans he has to consult the business and public sectors on its contents; and if he will make a statement. [120721]

Alan Johnson: The Regulatory Impact Assessment of the higher education white paper is due to be published in the summer.

Officials in my department are consulting with Cabinet Office colleagues, the Inland Revenue, and the higher education Better Regulation Review Group to assess the costs and benefits of the proposals in more detail.

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