| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
15 Sept 2003 : Column 549W—continued
Telecommunications
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the number of telecommunications-related jobs that have been lost to overseas competition in the last six years; and if she will make a statement. [129388]
Mr. Timms: The Department of Trade and Industry has not made an assessment of whether any telecoms related jobs have been lost to overseas competition in the last six years. Despite a severe global downturn in the telecoms industry that has resulted in the loss of a number of telecoms related jobs world-wide, official statistics suggest that employment in telecoms in Great Britain has been relatively stable.
| Employment (thousand) | |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 194 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 236 |
| 2001 | 248 |
| 2002 | (8)236 |
| 2003 | (9)238 |
(7) Data for GB do not include Northern Ireland.
(8) Data as at December 2002.
(9) Data as at March 2003.
Sources:
1998 to 2001 figures: Annual Business Inquiry Data, Industry 64.2, Telecommunications 2002 to 2003 Labour Market Trends (Monthly Report) July 2003.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Modern Apprenticeships
Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of young people in modern apprenticeships who are from (a) one parent families and (b) households in receipt of housing benefit. [129120]
Alan Johnson: The Youth Cohort Study (YCS) for England and Wales provides information on the activities of young people who have completed compulsory education. For the cohort of 16 and 17-year-olds who completed their compulsory education in 2001, the YCS estimates that 20 per cent. of those on Modern Apprenticeships were from lone parent families. The proportion of young people from lone parent families for the cohort as a whole was 22 per cent. The YCS does not collect information about the receipt of housing benefit.
Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average pay of young people on Modern Apprenticeships was in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by job type. [129121]
Alan Johnson: The rate of pay for a Modern Apprentice is agreed by the employer and the individual apprentice. Modern Apprentices are either paid a wage by their employer or receive a training allowance. The minimum training allowance is £40 per week.
15 Sept 2003 : Column 550W
The Youth Cohort Study (YCS) for England and Wales provides information on the activities of young people who have completed compulsory education. According to the YCS, for the cohort who completed compulsory education in 2001, the average pay for 16 and 17-year-olds who were either waged or paid a training allowance was £88 per week. For the cohort who completed compulsory education in 1999, the corresponding rate of pay for 18 and 19-year-olds was £133 per week.
The YCS does not collect information by job type for Modern Apprenticeships.
Specialist Teaching (Sign Language)
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in the UK specialise in teaching those who are hard of hearing; what funding is afforded to them; where sign language is taught in state schools; and if he will make a statement. [128251]
Mr. Miliband: The Department does not hold this information for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. In England, there are 1,088 maintained special schools, of which 13 have hearing impairment as their primary category of need, and three have hearing impairment as their secondary category of need. In addition, there are eight non-maintained special schools which specialise in hearing impairment.
According to a survey conducted by the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD) in 2000, of the 25,019 children taught by teachers of the deaf, 67 per cent. were in mainstream schools, 14 per cent. in units attached to mainstream schools, and 19 per cent. in special schools.
In maintained special schools, funding is usually related to a set number of places, with the individual place cost determined by the complexity of learning needs that the school has to address. The average budget share for a pupil in a maintained special school is £10,800. Government support for non-maintained special schools comes primarily from the Devolved Capital Formula, the Standards Fund and School Standards Grant.
The Department does not hold records centrally indicating where sign bilingualism is taught in schools. However, the BATOD survey suggested that sign bilingualism was used by 6 per cent. of children (601 in schools for the deaf and 410 in units attached to mainstream schools).
Adult Non-vocational Courses
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which provision of adult non-vocational courses meets the needs of the community in West Herts; and what representations he will make on this issue. [129145]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 11 September 2003]: The Learning and Skills Council has responsibility for planning and funding non-vocational adult education provided through local education authorities. The local LSC for Hertfordshire has recently commissioned a
15 Sept 2003 : Column 551W
Strategic Options Review of West Hertfordshire College, which is due to report at the end of September 2003. Nationally we recently reaffirmed our intention to safeguard such courses and opportunities for all adult learners, 21st Century Skills, Realising Our Potential, July 2003.
Animal Experiments
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to enable students studying for science degrees and doctorates to avoid taking part in animal experiments they do not wish to participate in. [129268]
Alan Johnson: Higher education institutions in the UK are independent, autonomous bodies and are responsible for the content and delivery of their own programmes. Students with particular concerns about aspects of course content would need to discuss this with their prospective university before deciding to enrol. However, independent bodies like the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare can offer advice and guidance to universities and individuals on the welfare and ethical use of animals in education and science.
Early Literacy Programme
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 25 Jun 2003, Official Report, column 777W, on the Early Literacy Programme, when the 'Go Karts' early literacy support video was withdrawn from use; and for what reasons the video was withdrawn. [128544]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The 'Go Karts' sequence was one of a number included in the Early Literacy Support (ELS) video made available to local authorities in September 2000, as part of the first national training of Reception and Year 1 teachers and teaching assistants. The specific purpose of this sequence was to provide training to Reception teachers about the ELS programme. Revisions were made to the video and training materials that were sent to schools in September 2001, specifically to support the implementation of the programme in Year 1.
Learning and Skills Council
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) whether the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service is required to take account of existing contractual agreements and relationships that a local Learning and Skills Council and local providers already have with industry when issuing contracts to national providers; [129417]
- (2) at what stage of the process local Learning and Skills Councils and providers will be informed of the intention to issue a contract through the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service; [129418]
(3) if he will list by (a) value of contract and (b) region, the contracts that have been issued by the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service to fund, or part fund, employer-based learning; [129419]
(4) how many contracts have been issued by the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service to offer free training for a qualification; how
15 Sept 2003 : Column 552W
- many of these were in areas where an existing locally-based contract was already present; and if he will make a statement. [129420]
Alan Johnson: These are matters 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.
Further Education
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons (a) further education tuition for adults to Level 2 will be free and (b) tuition to Level 3 will be charged for. [129698]
Alan Johnson: In making decisions about public funds we have to prioritise so that funding is targeted where it will make the most difference. Over 7 million adults in the workforce in England do not possess level 2 or equivalent qualifications. These individuals are more likely to lack the foundation of skills they need for employability, and are less likely to get a secure, well paid job. In contrast, the higher wages paid to people with qualifications above level 2 offer a greater incentive for both individuals and employers to invest in learning. The entitlement to free tuition for individuals studying for a first full level 2 qualification, to which the right hon. Gentleman refers, will enable individuals to achieve a level of educational attainment that will provide them with a with a platform of skills for employability, enable them to improve their position in the labour market and increase their chances of undertaking further learning.
This focus on using public funds to help people reach level 2 should be seen within a wider strategy which encourages up-skilling and re-skilling at all levels. To that end, the Government will provide increased support for individuals developing their skills and qualifications at level 3 in priority sectors and to meet specific regional skills needs. We believe that this is the fairest way to manage participation in further education, and make productivity gains with public investment.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |