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EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Disabled Children (Family Support)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many families with (a) severely disabled and (b) disabled children have
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received family support in each year since 1997, broken down by social services authority; and if he will make a statement; [124164]
- (2) what the net expenditure of each social services authority in England on family support services for (a) severely disabled and (b) disabled children was in each year since 1997; what the total was for all authorities in each of those years; what the percentage change in real terms was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [124165]
Margaret Hodge: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
Learning Disabilities (Support)
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many children with a learning disability received support from social services; what the net expenditure was of each social services authority in England on those children in each year since 1997–98; and what the total was for all authorities in those years; [126924]
- (2) what the net expenditure of each social services authority in England on disabled children was in each year since 1997–98; and what the percentage change was in each year since 1997–98. [126925]
Margaret Hodge: The only information available relates to a survey week in September/October 2001. The results are published in "CIN 2001 Local Authority tables: Results of a survey of activity and expenditure as reported by Local Authorities in England based on a survey in September/October 2001". The publication is available at http://www.doh.gov.uk/cin/cin2001latables.htm.
Table J shows the number of disabled children reported in the Children in Need (CIN) Census in the survey week who received a service during that week. The results are shown by local authority. The information cannot be broken down to distinguish those who have a learning disability from others.
On expenditure on learning disabled children/disabled children receiving social services during a census week in September/October 2001, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 21 July.
Adult Learning Programmes
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the national indicative budget for non-qualification bearing adult learning programmes will be introduced. [126786]
Alan Johnson: The national indicative budget for non-qualification bearing adult learning programmes will be introduced from the 2004/05 academic year.
Advice Partnerships/Helpline
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements he will make for (a) governance and (b) funding of the combined local advice partnerships and national advice helpline. [126801]
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Margaret Hodge: The Learning & Skills Council and Ufi/learndirect will work together to integrate the learndirect national advice service with the work of the local information, advice and guidance partnerships. All funding for the Ufl/learndirect national advice service and local services will be channelled through the Learning and Skills Council, supporting consistent planning and monitoring of services nationally and locally.
Centres of Vocational Excellence
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the development of centres of vocational excellence. [126782]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Government has established more than 250 Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) to date. We have met the manifesto commitment 8 months early and we are well on our way to meet our target of 400 CoVEs by March 2006.
Chapter 6 of the skills strategy, "Realising our Potential" published by my Department on 9 July includes our plans for further development of the CoVE network.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what mechanisms the Minister for Children will establish between the services transferred to the Department for Education and Skills, and the relevant services remaining in the Department of Health, to ensure the development of a comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. [121240]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 23 June 2003]: The Department of Health will continue to have responsibility for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, and as before will continue to work in close co-operation with the Department for Education and Skills. I will be working closely with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health to address the needs of children and young people who require co-ordinated support from health and social services, including those with mental health problems. In particular we will be collaborating closely in the development of the forthcoming Children's National service Framework, which will set out standards for delivery of health and social care services for children, and DfES and DH will continue to have joint responsibility for the development of policy on Children's Trusts.
Child Law Reform
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Minister for Children has responsibility for child law reform. [121822]
Margaret Hodge: I will keep under review the legislation relating to children and young people for which the Department for Education and Skills is responsible and I will work with Ministers from other Departments to ensure that their legislation contributes, wherever relevant, to the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
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Child Care
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he will make the initiative announced on 17 June on improving access to affordable and quality child care available to parents in Dudley North; and if he will make a statement. [123426]
Margaret Hodge: We announced a number of initiatives on 17 June all of which will benefit parents in the Dudley North Constituency.
- Funding for the "childminder buddying scheme" will be available from April 2004.
Childcare Partnership Managers are now available in each Jobcentre Plus district.
Quality First is available for childminders who wish to develop their child care capabilities.
Care to Learn is available for all teenage parents who wish to take part in publicly funded education or training.
The foundation stage information packs will be available from EYDCPs after 18 July.
These initiatives supplement others which are available throughout the country to support our aims of providing affordable, quality child care for all parents. They include the child care element of the new working tax credit, which builds on the success of the child care tax credit to support working parents by adding greater flexibility and an extension of the range of eligible child care; and the expansion of free, part-time early years education, which is available to all 4-years-olds and will be available to all 3-year-olds from April 2004. In addition, developments in out of school care including before and after school and during weekends and holidays are making a real difference for children and their families. While the focus of these clubs is care for the children outside the school day, the provision is also about positive play and learning experiences. We launched extended schools through the Education Act 2002, giving schools the powers to provide community facilities, including child care. Child care in schools provides safe, accessible child care for children attending the school and children in the wider community.
These initiatives will help break the cycles of poverty and make sure that each child has an equal opportunity to succeed at school and in later life.
Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places have been created in (a) Stoke, South constituency and (b) Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority since 1997. [125623]
Margaret Hodge: Figures on new child care places created have been collected quarterly from local authorities since April 1999. Between April 1999 and March 2003, our latest information, Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority reported the creation of a total of 2,148 new child care places. This includes 454 new places with childminders. Figures for constituencies are available for group-based child care provision but not for childminders; between April 1999 and March 2003 Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority reported the creation of 490 new group-based child care places in Stoke, South constituency.
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Children and Family Court Advisory andSupport Services
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases which are the responsibility of CAFCASS remain unallocated; how many of these are considered to be at high risk; and how many are in the Greater London area. [124919]
Margaret Hodge: Of 12,077 public law cases being dealt with by CAFCASS in May 2003, 511 cases were unallocated 1 . Of the 8,398 private law cases being dealt with in May 2003, 399 cases were unallocated 2 . 263 of these unallocated cases were in Greater London. Cases where there is an identified risk to children are given priority by the service, but data are not collected on the number of high risk cases it is involved in. Under the Children Act 1989, an Emergency Protection Order can be granted by a court, to safeguard children likely to suffer significant harm. These orders are granted within 24 hours of an application to the court.
- 1 Unallocated seven days after a request from Court is received by CAFCASS.
- 2 Unallocated less than 10 weeks before a CAFCASS report is filed at Court.
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