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11 Sept 2003 : Column 451W—continued
Ofsted
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 293W, what percentage of maintained secondary school lessons inspected by Ofsted between 1995–2002 in (a) Year 7, (b) Year 8, (c) Year 9, (d) Year 10 and (e) Year 11 were recorded as set by ability in (i) English, (ii) French, (iii) mathematics and (iv) science; and if he will make a statement. [129133]
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.
Physical Exercise
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans there are to respond to
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the recent Ofsted report concerning the quality of school physical exercise lessons; and if he will make a statement. [128674]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 290W.
Re-offending
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has commissioned into a link between numeracy and re-offending by prisoners after release. [128973]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have commissioned the Office for National Statistics to measure the extent to which prisoners' literacy and numeracy are improved through their basic skills training, and how this relates to reducing re-offending and other aspects of their lives after release. We expect the final report to be available at the end of this year.
School Exclusion Appeals
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance notes have been sent by his Department to school exclusion appeals panels since 1998. [127891]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Between 1998 and 2001 a number of changes were made to schools exclusion and LEA appeal panel arrangements. In 2003, Chapter 6 and Annex D of Circular 10/99 were superseded by guidance called Improving Behaviour and Attendance: Guidance on Exclusion from Schools and Pupil Referral Units ref DfES/0087/2003 and further reflected changes made to exclusion policy. The changes included:
- the requirement that panels balance the interests of the permanently excluded child with that of others in the school;
preventing panels from reinstating a pupil solely on the basis of minor technicalities in prior procedure;
changes to the composition of appeal panel members to include head teacher(s), school governor(s) and a lay member which brought with a wealth of school based experience;
enabling panels to decide because of exceptional circumstances or other reasons it is not practical to require reinstatement when it would otherwise have been appropriate to have given such a direction.
Section 28
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions his Department has had with (a) the leader of Kent County Council and (b) officials at Kent County Council regarding section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988; and if he will make a statement. [128773]
Mr. Miliband: The Department has had no discussions with the leader of Kent County Council, or with officials, regarding Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. Local Authorities do not determine sex education in schools and repeal of Section
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28 will have no effect on what is taught. The Education Act 1996, as amended by the Learning and Skills Act 2000, places responsibility for sex and relationship education firmly on teachers and governors. Guidance sent to all schools in July 2000 makes this position clear.
Student Finance
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the name given to the student contribution towards tuition costs. [128967]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The White Paper "The Future of Higher Education" makes clear that, from 2006, neither students nor their families will have to make any contribution towards tuition costs while they are studying for their degree. Instead, they will be able to pay through a Graduate Contribution Scheme, as set out in the White Paper.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to change the interest rates charged to students who receive loans from the Student Loans Company. [129460]
Alan Johnson: Student loans are not commercial loans. The Government subsidise the actual cost of interest on the loans. However, to make sure that all borrowers pay back the same amount that they borrowed in real terms, the Government uprates the value of what is owed in line with the general rate of inflation. This is done by using the Retail Prices Index (RPI) and fixing the interest charged to that rate. The interest rate on student loans is set every year from 1 September and is based on the RPI for the previous March. This is the only way in which it changes. There are no plans to change this basis of setting the interest charged on student loans.
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of top-up fees on the debt problem for students from a poorer background entering into a career in medicine. [128405]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 9 September 2003]: My Department has responsibility for fee support for English domiciled medical students in years 1 to 4 of their courses. During those years they have the same student support as any other eligible higher education students. Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary legislation, from 2006–07 students will be liable for tuition fees of up to a maximum of £3,000 pa which they can defer, adding to their loan instead. Students from poorer backgrounds will continue, as now, to receive means tested grants for fees of £1,125 pa (2003–04 rate). Three in ten of all students will also receive means tested Higher Education Grants of £1,000. Many poorer students should in addition be eligible for bursaries and other support from universities under arrangements agreed by the Office of Fair Access. We therefore anticipate only a small average increase annually in low income students' loans as a result of the introduction of variable fees, and thus in their debt on graduation.
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Fee support for English domiciled medical students in years five and six is the responsibility of the Department of Health. Currently students in those years pay no contributions to fees. In addition students may also receive a means tested NHS Bursary of up to £2,703 for those students studying in London. They remain eligible for the reduced rate of loan under the student support regulations. Department of Health Ministers have indicated that, whatever the future levels of tuition fees, they will take measures to ensure that any increase in the cost of university courses will not have an adverse impact on the supply, retention, diversity or quality of students on health professional courses, including medicine.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will (a) defer the payment of tuition fees until after students have completed their university course and (b) freeze tuition fee levels. [129093]
Alan Johnson: Students at English Higher Education Institutions will be able to defer payment of tuition fees charged in respect of academic year 2006 onwards until after they have completed their course: they will start repaying when their salary is above £15,000. The Government has made it clear that HE Institutions need greater levels of funding to compete internationally, and that it is right to seek a greater contribution from students towards the cost of their course. It therefore intends to give HE Institutions the freedom to charge fees of between £0 and £3,000 from 2006: those that wish to charge above the standard fee will only be able to do so if they have an access agreement approved by the Office of Fair Access (OFFA).
University Teachers
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to change the London allowance for university teachers; what representations he has received regarding an increase; and if he will make a statement. [128803]
Alan Johnson: The Department has no plans to intervene in what is a matter for universities themselves. As universities are independent and autonomous bodies the Government plays no part in setting the levels of pay in the higher education sector, including London weighting. These are subject to regulations between employers, their staff and their representative trade union bodies. Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and myself have had correspondence and discussions with the unions for staff in higher education and the universities on this issue and we have stressed that we cannot intervene on this matter.
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