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1 Sept 2003 : Column 754W—continued
Regional Employment and Skills Action
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on (a) the introduction and (b) the updating of Frameworks for Regional Employment and Skills Action. [126793]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: Regional Development Agencies were asked to lead on creating Frameworks for Regional Employment and Skills Action in each region and to have them in place by October 2002. The Frameworks were initiated by this Department, the DTI and the Department of Work and Pensions and enable key partners and agencies to agree shared priorities and actions to address skills and employment issues at regional level. A Regional Employment and Skills Forum made up of all the key partners and agencies has been established in each region and is responsible for overseeing the production, implementation, monitoring and updating of each Framework.
Research Funding
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how much money the Higher Education Funding Council for England will be allocating to recurrent funding for research in England; [125487]
- (2) what percentage of departments in England with 8,500 research active staff received a rating of 4 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise; and how their funding will change from 2002–03 to 2003–04; [125483]
(3) what funding was available for departments with a 4 rating in 2002–03; and what is available in 2003–04; [125489]
(4) how many and what percentage of academics are working in 4-star rated research departments; and how many 4-star rated research departments there are in England; [125490]
(5) what percentage of research active staff in England are in departments rated 1 to 4, excluding those due to receive capability funding; [125485]
(6) what percentage of departments assessed in England in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise with 6,500 research active academic staff are at a level that will not receive recurrent funding in 2003–04; [125482]
(7) which subjects had fewer than 20 per cent. of departments in England receive a 5 to 5* rating in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise; [125486]
(8) what percentage of departments in research intensive Russell Group institutions in England had research rated 1 to 3a in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. [125484]
Alan Johnson: In 2003/04, HEFCE is allocating a total of £1,042 million in recurrent research funding to English higher education institutions—an increase of 10.9 per cent. compared with 2002/03. The funding further increases in 2004/05 and 2005/06 by £107 million and £246 million respectively. In addition, HEFCE provided over £26 million through the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) this year to support universities in commercially exploiting their research. HEIF resources will be consolidated into a permanent stream of funding and increase by £80 million and £90 million in 2004/05 and 2005/06 respectively. HEFCE is also allocating £16 million in the next two years to establish 20 Knowledge Exchanges to help direct this activity within regional networks.
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HEFCE allocated research funding according to the quality and volume of research departments that were rated 4 and above in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and an additional £20 million to departments that were rated 5* in both the last two RAE's. A further £20 million is also available as capability funding to departments that were rated 3a or 3b in seven specific subject areas, to provide extra support so the research base can improve to match that in the more established fields.
In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, 23 per cent. of departments in England received a 4 rating. In line with our policy set out in the Higher Education White Paper, HEFCE has re-balanced the funding levels between ratings for 2003–04 to ensure better resourcing for, and improved quality of, the best research. This has meant a reduction in funding for 4 rated departments from £139 million in 2002–03 to £118 million in 2003–04.
School Budgets
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) the increase in National Insurance contributions and (b) the new formula spending share, on school budgets in (i) Portsmouth and (ii) the rest of Hampshire; and if he will make a statement. [126182]
Mr. Miliband: The Department does not collect information on the distribution of teaching salaries by school or by local education authority. It is therefore not possible for us to calculate the additional cost of the increase in National Insurance contributions for each local education authority. However, nationally, the increase in additional resources provided for education of £2.7 billion more than match the pressures faced by schools and local education authorities.
In introducing the new funding system in 2003–04, our aim has been to produce the best possible match between the distribution of funds and the differing circumstances and needs of local education authorities. The formula provides the same funding for all comparable pupils right across the country. So the new system consists of a basic amount per pupil—which is the same everywhere—with top-ups for pupils with additional educational needs (again the same per pupil everywhere), and for area costs for salaries, recruitment and retention. Authorities which have more deprived pupils and/or receive extra funding to take account of the high costs of recruiting and retaining staff in their area, receive a higher level of funding overall than those which have comparatively low levels of deprivation and/or do not receive additional funding for area costs. But all authorities received an increase of at least 3.2 per cent. per pupil after taking account of the changes to teachers' pension contributions and the additional £28 million grant provided to authorities ensured a minimum effective increase per pupil of 3.2 per cent. per pupil taking account of changes to the Standards Fund. Local education authorities are responsible for deciding the amount of funding available for the Schools Budget.
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School Fires
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many fires in school buildings in each of the last three years have been attributed to (a) accidents and (b) arson. [123314]
Margaret Hodge: The Department does not collect these figures.
School Meals
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans he has to change the criteria for measuring school socio-economic position from the percentage of children receiving school meals; and if he will make a statement; [125225]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the effect on comparisons for schools socio-economic position of a drop in the number of children receiving free school meals; and if he will make a statement. [125226]
Margaret Hodge: The Department's Annual Schools' Census (ASC) collects information on the numbers of pupils 'known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM)' as a consequence of local authorities (and schools) legal duty to provide them. The ASC does not collect any other information on the socio-economic circumstances of individual pupils or, in aggregate, of schools.
The Department is investigating whether information from other departments' datasets can be linked in ways which preserve necessary data confidentialities but provide measures additional to FSM that improve the appropriateness and robustness of socio-economic comparisons of schools.
There has been a trend downward over the last few years in the numbers of children 'known to be eligible for FSM', due in part to increased employment. About 80 per cent. of children who are entitled to make a claim for a free meal do so, but the rate varies from school to school over time depending on pupil and parental preferences and economic circumstances. Direct, and fair, interpretations of FSM comparisons within and between schools are therefore complicated and complex.
The Department's "Autumn Package of Pupil Performance Information" has shown since 1996 national attainment benchmarks for groups of schools with broadly similar levels of FSM. These are used by schools to gauge their recent relative performances and by OFSTED in discussions with schools during inspection. Schools compare their performances with those of schools in adjacent benchmark groups and bring to bear their detailed knowledge of pupils and their schools in those discussions.
Schools (Funding)
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to announce plans for future funding of schools education. [125110]
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Mr. Miliband [holding answer 14 July]: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, made a statement in the House on Thursday, 17 July, about the changes that will be made to the school funding system in 2004–05 and 2005–06.
Special Measures
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools were placed into special measures between 1996–97 and 2002–03 in each banding for socio-economic circumstances in the National Benchmark Tables. [125221]
Margaret Hodge: Information is shown in the following table:
| FSM Band(30) | Number |
|---|---|
| Primary schools(31) | |
| Up to and including 8% 113 | |
| More than 8% up to 20% | 238 |
| More than 20% up to 35% | 233 |
| More than 35% up to 50% | 223 |
| more than 50% | 170 |
| Total | 978 |
| Secondary schools(32) | |
| Up to and including 5% | 2 |
| more than 5% up to 9% | 9 |
| More than 9% up to 13% | 5 |
| more than 13% up to 21 % | 27 |
| More than 21 % up to 35% | 68 |
| More than 35% up to 50% | 51 |
| more than 50% | 39 |
| Total | 201 |
Notes:
1. Schools are shown in the Free School Meal (FSM) band within the Autumn Package of Pupil Performance Information of the academic year in which they were placed in special measures, except for schools entering special measures in 2002–03 which have been placed in the band in which they were reported in the 2002 benchmark tables.
2. Maintained, mainstream schools included in the KS1 and/or KS2 benchmark tables. One school—The Five Islands' CE Primary School, Isles of Scilly—was placed in special measures on 3 July 2003 and is an amalgamation of 4 previous schools, and has been excluded from the above table.
3. Maintained, mainstream schools included in the KS3 and/or GCSE/GNVQ benchmark tables.
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