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Gifted Children

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provisions are made to cater for particularly gifted children from state schools; and if he will make a statement on his policy on gifted children being able to fulfil their potential. [127956]

Mr. Miliband: The Government are making support for gifted and talented pupils integral to its core strategies to improve teaching and learning. Its gifted and talented education programme in England includes: a dedicated strand of Excellence in Cities, supporting intensive provision in disadvantaged areas; a range of national activity, featuring the Academy for Gifted Youth; and a new dimension provided through the Gifted and Talented Arm of London Challenge. The Government believes that all children, including the most able, deserve an education that meets their needs and provides them with the challenge to fulfil their potential.

Jean Monnet Chairs

Mr. Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Jean Monnet chairs are based in UK universities; what the value of the grant funding of these posts is; what the salaries of (a) these chairs and (b) professorships nationally agreed rates are; and how many Jean Monnet chairs there are per capita in each EU member state. [127760]

Mr. Miliband: Between 1990 and 2002, 107 Jean Monnet Chairs in UK universities were approved. Chairs are co-financed, with the European Commission providing up to 80 per cent. of the eligible costs and remaining costs paid for by the host universities. Up to 1999, the maximum level of European Commission financing for a Jean Monnet Chair was euro 60,000 for a 3-year period. Between 2000–02 it was euro 30,000.

Salaries of Jean Monnet Chairs vary between universities. As of 1 August 2002, the Professorial minimum in pre-1992 higher education institutions is £40,841. For institutions which gained university status in 1992, there is no set minimum or maximum salary level.

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The following table shows the number of Jean Monnet Chairs in each EU member state between 1990 and 2002 together with the chairs per capita, based on population figures for 2002.

Countries	Jean Monnet chairs	Chairs per capita
Austria	10	0.0000005
Belgium	11	0.000001
Denmark	15	0.0000027
Finland	7	0.0000013
France	68	0.0000011
Germany	60	0.0000007
Greece	28	0.0000026
Ireland	19	0.0000048
Italy	50	0.0000008
Netherlands	25	0.0000015
Portugal	16	0.0000015
Spain	70	0.0000017
Sweden	8	0.0000009
United Kingdom	107	0.0000017
Total	494	—

Mathematics Teaching

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve the teaching of mathematics. [127781]

Mr. Charles Clarke: We have achieved the best ever primary school test results in mathematics. In the 2003 Key Stage 2 tests 73 per cent. of 11 year olds achieved the expected level in mathematics, a 14 percentage point increase since 1998. The National Primary Strategy will continue to help teachers improve the learning and teaching of mathematics, focusing on aspects that pupils find most difficult.

The KS3 results are also at their best ever this year, with mathematics up from 2002 by three percentage points, with 70 per cent. achieving the expected level. Through the continuing success of the Key Stage 3 National Strategy, where improving the teaching of mathematics remains a key priority, we expect standards to continue to rise.

The independent Post-14 Maths Inquiry is due to publish its final report at the end of September and is expected to make recommendations on the pedagogy, curriculum and qualifications for those aged 14 and over and to propose options for a new National Centre of Excellence for Mathematics Teaching.

National Foundation for Educational Research

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding the Department provided to the National Foundation for Educational Research in each year since 1990; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the Foundation's document, Sounds before letters: final evaluation of POPAT. [127199]

Alan Johnson: Information on funding provided to the national Foundation for Educational Research is only available from 1995. The cost of providing information prior to this date would be disproportionate. The funding provided by the Department each year from April 1995 is as follows.

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£

	Funding provided by the Department
1995	312,808
1996	307,100
1997	200,984
1998	311,924
1999	759,209
2000	304,547
2001	319,090
2002	104,943

The Department did not commission the National Foundation for Educational Research to evaluate POPAT.

National Literacy Strategy

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the effect of the National Literacy Strategy on literacy skills among primary school pupils in Taunton. [127773]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The National Literacy Strategy has transformed standards of literacy in our primary schools. Nationally, 75 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 or above in the 2003 Key Stage 2 English tests, 10 percentage points more than in 1998. A recent international study showed that England's 10-year-olds are now the third most able readers in the world.

In Somerset schools, the percentage of pupils achieving level 4 in the Key Stage 2 English tests has improved by seven percentage points, from 67 per cent. to 74 per cent., between 1998 and 2003. We are unable to disaggregate the results for Taunton schools.

National Primary Strategy

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received in relation to the National Primary Strategy. [127921]

Mr. Miliband: Following the publication of "Excellence and Enjoyment—A strategy for primary schools" in May 2003, we have received a number of responses from individuals and organisations. In addition, we have invited 6,000 primary headteachers to attend a series of conferences, where they will have the opportunity to comment on the strategy.

Ormond Road Workshops

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what applications have been made to the Learning and Skills Council for funding of the Ormond Road Workshops in Islington; on what dates applications were received; and what the decision was in each case. [127397]

Mr. Miliband: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Public Relations Consultants

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 June,

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Official Report, column 1026W, what his Department's budget for public relations consultants in the financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05 is. [128237]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Department's anticipated expenditure on public relations consultants in 2003–04 is £1,573,000. Plans and budgets for the Department's communications activity, including use of public relation consultants, for 2004–05 have not yet been developed and so it is not possible to give the information requested.

Pupil Funding

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the guaranteed minimum per pupil increase in 2004–05 and 2005–06 will (a) take account of standards fund payments to schools and (b) apply only to the age-weighted per pupil funding. [127972]

Alan Johnson: The Secretary of State's statement of 17 July on school funding said that the Standards Fund would be maintained and inflation-proofed at 2003–04 levels. The level of Standards Fund allocations will therefore be guaranteed separately. The guaranteed minimum per pupil increase will refer to school budget shares, excluding the part funded through the Learning and Skills Council, for which separate arrangements will be in place as outlined in the statement. The Department is working with local education authorities on the methodology for the guarantee, and aim to issue draft regulations and guidance during the autumn.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) when he expects the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to meet its obligations under section 95 of the December 2002 Tomlinson Report to publish a Memorandum of Understanding between the QCA and the awarding bodies before the first anniversary of the publication of that report; [128098]

(2) what discussions took place between the Department and the awarding bodies as stipulated in section 95 of the December 2002 Tomlinson Report relating to the Memorandum of Understanding published on 19 June; [128100]

(3) what plans he has to call together the relevant staff of his Department, of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and of the awarding bodies to discuss jointly the Memorandum of Understanding (a) drawn up between his Department and the QCA, and (b) drawn up between the QCA and the awarding bodies; [128101]

(4) when he expects to meet his obligation under section 95 of the December 2002 Tomlinson Report to publish a Memorandum of Understanding between the DfES and the awarding bodies before the first anniversary of the publication of that report. [128102]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department and the

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Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) was published on QCA's website on 19 June. I placed a copy in the Library on 18 June. The MoU refers at paragraph 11 to the basis on which the Department meets the awarding bodies.

The relationship between QCA and the awarding bodies is covered by QCA's regulatory arrangements which include the accreditation criteria and Codes of Practice published jointly by the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales, the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment and QCA. There is no need for a separate memorandum of understanding between DfES and the awarding bodies. QCA will continue to monitor and review its regulatory arrangements and to meet regularly with the Joint Council for General Qualifications.

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