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2 Jul 2003 : Column 284W—continued
Whales
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Government plan to encourage the establishment of whale sanctuaries in the (a) Pacific and (b) South Atlantic. [121020]
Mr. Bradshaw: Within the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the establishment of Whale Sanctuaries requires a ¾ majority of those contracting Governments present and voting. The UK provided strong support to proposals in respect of both the South Pacific Whale Sanctuary and the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary. Through FCO we lobbied both range states and others who oppose these sanctuaries, but have so far been unable to secure the ¾ majority necessary for their adoption. Our efforts will continue, should similar proposals be submitted to the IWC next year.
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Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's assessment is of the impact of scientific whaling on the world's population of whales, by type. [122656]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is not possible for the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to assess the impact of scientific whaling on the world's population of whales by type because population estimates exist for only two of the whale species targeted by Japan—Southern Hemisphere and North Pacific minke whales. However, the IWC is undertaking a major review of the former as the 1992 estimate is not considered reliable. No reliable stock estimates exist for the other whales killed under Japan's research programmes.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Animal Welfare
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which subjects animal welfare features in the National Curriculum at (a) primary and (b) secondary school level. [122663]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Pupils in primary and secondary schools learn about animal welfare issues including understanding about the responsibility of humans to care for animals, through Citizenship education and Science. The non-statutory framework for Personal, Social and Health Education and Citizenship for primary schools was introduced in September 2000 and Citizenship became part of the statutory National Curriculum for 11 to 16-year-olds in September 2002. Guidance from QCA on teaching Citizenship includes units, "How the law protects animals—a local-to global study" and "Animals and Us", which support learning about animal welfare. The teaching of living things such as animals and plants is a central part of the curriculum framework for Science throughout Key Stages 1 to 4. Pupils are taught about living things in their environment which includes
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being taught about ways in which living things and the environment can be protected and the importance of sustainable development.
Classroom Assistants
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new classroom assistants were appointed in the UK in the 2002–03 academic year in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) special needs schools. [122007]
Mr. Miliband: Information on new appointments is not collected centrally. The table below shows the numbers of teaching assistants in service in January for the last two years and the increase in numbers between 2002 and 2003.
| Full-time equivalent number of teachingassistants(10) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Secondary | Special(11) | |
| January 2002 | 69,310 | 19,530 | 14,250 |
| Provisional January 2003 | 79,790 | 22,260 | 16,560 |
| Increase in 2003 | 10,490 | 2,740 | 2,310 |
(10) Includes nursery assistants, special needs support staff, minority, ethnic pupil support staff
(11) Includes both maintained and non-maintained special schools. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. The increase in 2003 may not appear to equal the difference between the two years due to rounding.
Consultancies
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list by project the consultancies (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies have used on e-Government projects since 1 January 2001. [115229]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The principal consultancies used by the Department for Education and Skills since 1 January 2001 on e-Government projects in support of its e-business strategy are as follows. The list does not include consultancies on internal ICT projects, consultancies in support of specific services, or those used by non-departmental public bodies, as gathering this information would incur disproportionate cost.
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Energy Efficiency
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what targets his Department has for improving energy efficiency; and how he intends to achieve these targets. [116644]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of state for Environment, Food and rural Affairs on 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 580W.
Ethnic Minority Pupils
Mr. Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the proportion is of ethnic minority pupils in (a) school sixth forms, (b) independent schools, (c) sixth form colleges, (d) general further education colleges and (e) universities. [121277]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2003]: The latest available information is shown in the table.
| Percentage of ethnic minority pupils (13) | |
|---|---|
| School Sixth Forms(14) | 14.5 |
| Independent Schools(15) | — |
| Sixth Form Colleges(16) | 16.5 |
| General Further Education Colleges(16) | 13.1 |
| Universities(17) | 13.8 |
(12) "Ethnic minorities" covers all ethnic groups (including mixed), except the white categories.
(13) Number of ethnic minority pupils expressed as a percentage of pupils classified by their ethnicity.
(14) Pupils in NC year group 12, 13 or 14 in maintained secondary schools. As at January 2003 (provisional)
(15) Ethnicity of pupils in independent schools is not collected centrally.
(16) Information is self-declared. As at November 2002.
(17) Higher Education Institutions in academic year 2001/02, information is self-declared.
Sources:
Annual Schools' Census, coverage: England.
Individualised Learner Record 2002/03, coverage: England.
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), coverage: UK.
Mr. Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average GCSE results for ethnic minority students progressing into (a) school sixth-forms, (b) independent schools, (c) sixth-form colleges and (d) general further education colleges were in the last 12 months. [121280]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2003]: The average GCSE point score for a young person from an ethnic minority background entering a school sixth
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form is 52. The score is 52 for independent schools, 44 for sixth-form colleges and 34 for general further education colleges.
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