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17 Jul 2003 : Column 493W—continued
Warships (NATO Commitment)
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK commitment is to NATO forces in terms of (a) frigates and (b) destroyers. [126097]
Mr. Ingram: All of the Royal Navy destroyers and frigates are available to NATO for the full range of alliance missions and make a significant contribution to NATO's standing naval forces.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Arson Attacks
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what efforts are being made (a) by his Department and (b) by his Department in conjunction with other Departments to protect schools from arson attacks. [126050]
Mr. Miliband: My Department has produced the guide Fire Safety, which includes advice on how to reduce the risks of arson attacks. This complements our guidance on reducing crime in schools, such as the booklet Improving Security in Schools and the video Can You See What They See? A school security website has been established—www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolsecurity.
Officials from my Department sit on the Arson in Schools Working Group, a group of experts representing the insurance industry, the fire and police services, local authorities and Government departments. One of its outputs has been the publication of the guide How to Combat Arson in Schools, which is available free and has been well received by schools.
Disabled People
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to (a) encourage and (b) support more people with disabilities to enter (i) teaching and (ii) other employment in education; and what discussions he has had with Scottish counterparts on this issue. [125670]
Mr. Miliband: The Teacher Training Agency (TTA), acting on this Department's behalf, has implemented a number of measures to encourage more people with disabilities to enter teaching and support them throughout the process. Funding has been agreed with SKILL, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, as a contribution towards updating their Into Teaching' publication which is due to be completed by 31 August 2003. The new TTA recruitment brochure will also highlight people with disabilities as a priority group that will be addressed in the content.
The TTA is also leading the work on behalf of the Department to produce guidance to support Initial Teacher Training providers in meeting their legal responsibilities in accommodating and supporting trainees with disabilities.
In the wider context of other employment in education, Disability Employment Advisers and other advisers in Jobcentre Plus offices are available to provide help and practical support to people with disabilities.
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In the wider context of other employment in education, Disability Employment Advisers and other advisers in Jobcentre Plus offices are available to provide help and practical support to people with disabilities.
There have been no particular discussions on this subject with the Scottish Executive.
Domestic Violence
Ms. Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what services will be provided for children who are in families where there has been domestic violence. [125473]
Margaret Hodge: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Linda Gilroy).
European Credit Transfer System
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that English universities are prepared for the introduction of the European Credit Transfer System; and if he will make a statement. [124640]
Alan Johnson: We are keen to see widespread use of credit in England and effective systems for recognising credits across Europe. To this end, we have commissioned the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to work with key partners in Higher Education, to develop credit practice. Part of this work is to raise the awareness of institutions of the European Credit Transfer System and to encourage developments that both support students and promote compatibility between systems.
Higher Education Funding
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to higher education institutions in their block grants to recognise the additional costs of recruiting and supporting students from disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds in each year since 1997; if he will express this as a proportion of the Higher Education Funding Council for England budget; and what projections there are for such support in future years, expressed both as (a) funding sums and (b) a proportion of the HEFCE budget. [125543]
Alan Johnson: The table shows the funding the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has allocated for widening participation measures since 1999/2000 and the percentage this is of the total HEFCE institutional allocation. No funds for widening participation were allocated as part of block grant in 1997/98 and 1998/99.
| Widening participation funding (£) | Percentage of total HEFCE allocation | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999/2000 | 19,874,648 | 0.5 |
| 2000/01 | 31,276,261 | 0.8 |
| 2001/02 | 37,016,630 | 0.9 |
| 2002/03 | 47,653,002 | 1.1 |
| 2003/04 | 260,501,27 | 3.5 |
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The definition of widening participation and the funding method for determining its allocation has changed over this period so figures are not directly comparable. Institutions also receive funds for widening participation through the Excellence Challenge and Aim Higher programmes, but as these go directly to institutions they are excluded from the table. Some special funding is also allocated separately to higher education institutions for widening participation projects. This is also excluded from the table. For 2004/05 and 2005/6, the HEFCE funding as set out in the grant letter and the White paper "The future of Higher Education" will be £6,757,000,000 and £7,295,000,000 respectively. The allocation for widening participation in each of these years will be announced in February/March 2004 and 2005. This will reflect the outcome of the review of the HEFCE funding method, on which the sector will be consulted.
King's Ford Junior School
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will provide the hon. Member for Colchester with copies of the correspondence between himself and the Chair of Governors of King's Ford Junior School, Colchester (a) prior and (b) subsequent to his visit to Colchester. [125890]
Mr. Miliband: I am sending a copy of previous correspondence with officials to the hon. Member. There has been no correspondence with the Chair of Governors of King's Ford Junior School since the Secretary of State visited Colchester on 9 June.
Ofsted
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many lay inspectors are working for OFSTED in each region. [126118]
Mr. Miliband: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to the hon.Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.
Overseas Students
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many non-British European Union students there were on (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate courses in English universities in each of the last 10 years; and what assessment he has made of the likely trend of applications following EU enlargement in 2004. [124641]
Alan Johnson: The available information is in the table.
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Projections of applicants to English institutions are not available centrally. The Department does, however, project the number of students, EU resident or otherwise, likely to attend English institutions.
The number of non-British, EU resident students 1 attending English institutions is projected to grow by 4 per cent. from 71,000 in 2003/04 to 74,000 in 2004/05 and then by a further 5 per cent. to 77,000 in 2005/06. These projections are based on a number of assumptions including our, estimates of the impact of EU enlargement and should be treated with caution. Detailed projections for later years are not available.
1 On a headcount basis including full and part-time students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses
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