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30 Jun 2003 : Column 15W—continued

Public Sector Workers (Protection from Assault)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the protection of public sector workers against violence in their workplace. [120648]

Mr. Browne: I have been asked to reply

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is committed to tackling the problem of work-related violence. In March 2000 HSC embarked on a three year programme to help employers, including those in the public sector, to tackle this problem, with the aim of reducing the number of incidents of violence at work. So far the programme has resulted in the publication of

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new guidance specifically aimed at small businesses; the development of new National Occupational Standards on work-related violence; a programme of inspections in the health care sector; and new research to establish good practice for lone workers, including those in the public sector.

HSE officials are now evaluating this programme and will be submitting written proposals to the HSC on the next stage (2003–06) in due course.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120838]

Mr. Blunkett: A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals.

Information on the number of RIAs that have been reviewed in respect of the Department in the last year is not held.

From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role in independently evaluating a selection of RIAs. In their annual report, published in February 2003, the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review. The NAO intend to review one Home Office RIA.

The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.

Sewel Motions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list Sewel motions passed by the Scottish Parliament since May 1999 that apply to his Department's responsibilities and Government Bills he has sponsored. [120697]

Mr. Blunkett: Of the Bills sponsored by my Department the following were the subject of a Sewel motion in the Scottish Parliament on the date indicated.

BillDate of Sewel motion
Representation of the People13 January 2000
Sexual Offences (Amendment)19 January 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums9 March 2000and 6 July 2000
Regulation of Investigatory Powers6 April 2000
Race Relations (Amendment)25 May 2000
Criminal Justice and Courts Service5 October 2000
Criminal Justice and Police 7 February 2001
Proceeds of Crime24 October 2001
Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security15 November 2001
Police Reform 30 January 2002and 27 June 2002
Criminal Justice5 December 2002
Sexual Offences 20 March 2003


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Sustainable Development

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what remit relating to sustainable development is required by his Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) advisory non-departmental bodies, (c) executive non-departmental bodies, (d) tribunals, (e) public corporations and (f) other bodies. [116679]

Mr. Blunkett: Only one of the Home Office sponsored bodies, the Security Industry Authority, has a specific reference to sustainable development built into the Board's Code of Practice. However, the remits of most of the other bodies do make a positive contribution towards the social progress element of sustainable development. Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are also required to either follow the Department's Greening Operations Policy or to develop their own.

Terrorism (European Framework Law)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on a European framework law to govern the prosecution of terrorism. [121404]

Mr. Blunkett: The EU Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism, which was agreed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council of December 2001, requires all member states to introduce rigorous common terrorist offences and penalties. As a result, specific anti-terrorism legislation has to be introduced in those EU member states that did not have such measures in place. The United Kingdom, which already has specific strong counter-terrorism legislation, fully supported the framework decision. We believe it is vital to ensure that the EU has a co-ordinated, robust response to terrorism.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Careers Services

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve continuity of service between Connexions and higher education career services. [120588]

Margaret Hodge: Higher Education careers services are key partners on local adult information, advice and guidance (IAG) partnerships, with which Connexions Partnerships have close links, including representation on each others' Partnership Boards. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC)—which funds local adult IAG partnerships—and the Connexions Service National Unit (CSNU) have recently issued joint guidance to

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local LSC and Connexions Partnerships on managing the transition to relevant adult IAG services for young people who are approaching age 20. This aims to ensure a seamless transition for those who continue to need support on choosing learning and career options including those entering higher education.

Child Care

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many childcare places have been created in (a) Bury S. Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk, (c) Norfolk, (d) Cambridgeshire and (e) Essex in each year since 1999. [120429]

Margaret Hodge: The table shows the number of new child care places created each year in these areas.

New child care places

1999–20002000–012001–022002–03
Bury St. Edmunds constituency(2)128148301206
Suffolk1,0441,0091,4272,846
Norfolk6471,5291,6282,579
Cambridgeshire 2,4922,2081,8072,802
Essex3,5443,4612,9832,776

(2) Figures for the Bury St. Edmunds constituency exclude places with childminders, for whom data cannot be broken down within local authority areas. Within Suffolk, there were 282 new places with childminders in 1999–2000, 347 such places in 2000–01, 593 in 2001–02 and 1,040 in 2002–03.


All figures are from local authorities' quarterly childcare monitoring returns.

Criminal Records Bureau

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 303W, on the Criminal Records Bureau, how his Department calculated the figure to be contributed. [121745]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2003]: The level of contribution was determined in consultation with my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Health having regard to the proportion of applicants for CRB Disclosures from the education sector.

Faith Schools

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many faith schools exist in each London borough authority. [120526]

Mr. Miliband: The information requested is shown in the tables.

Maintained primary schools: Number of schools by religious character in each London borough

Primary shools(3)
January 2003 (Provisional)No religious characterChurch of EnglandRoman CatholicMethodistOther Christian Faith(4)JewishMuslimSikhOtherTotal
London1,36223924100171111,862
Inner London471130105002000708
City of London0100000001
Camden2013800000041
Hackney428400200056
Hammersmith and Fulham235700000035
Haringey45101100000066
Islington319700000047
Kensington and Chelsea127700000026
Lambeth3915700000061
Lewisham49101100000070
Newham563700000066
Southwark481212000o0072
Tower Hamlets539800000070
Wandsworth399900000057
Westminster1419700000040
Outer London89110913600151111,154
Barking and Dagenham422500000049
Barnet57151100800091
Bexley524700000063
Brent4051100310060
Bromley628800000078
Croydon7571100000194
Ealing543800000065
Enfield4712500100065
Greenwich4771000000064
Harrow472600100056
Havering552800000065
Hillingdon536600001066
Hounslow512700000060
Kingston upon Thames2211400000037
Merton325600000043
Redbridge421600200051
Richmond upon Thames269600000041
Sutton334500000042
Waltham Forest544600000064

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Maintained secondary schools: Number of schools by religious character in each London borough

Secondary schools(3)
January 2003 (Provisional)No religious characterChurch of EnglandRoman CatholicMethodistOther Christian Faith(4)JewishMuslimSikhOtherTotal
London3022969023011407
Inner London891428010001133
City of London0000000000
Camden7020000009
Hackney6120000009
Hammersmith and Fulham5220000009
Haringey80100000110
Islington7020000009
Kensington and Chelsea1030000004
Lambeth53200000010
Lewisham91200000012
Newham130200000015
Southwark72400000013
Tower Hamlets112300000016
Wandsworth7020000009
Westminster3310100008
Outer London2131541013010274
Barking and Dagenham8010000009
Barnet142400100021
Bexley111300000015
Brent100300100014
Bromley151100000017
Croydon142500000021
Ealing111100000013
Enfield141200000017
Greenwich101300000014
Harrow80200000010
Havering141201000018
Hillingdon141100001017
Hounslow101300000014
Kingston upon Thames71200000010
Merton6020000008
Redbridge130300100017
Richmond upon Thames7100000008
Sutton111200000014
Waltham Forest160100000017

(3) Includes middle schools as deemed.

(4) Includes schools of mixed denomination or other Christian beliefs.

Source:

Annual Schools' Census and EduBase


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