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28 Oct 2003 : Column 198W—continued
Vocational Courses
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many further education students enrolled in vocational courses in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [133874]
Jane Kennedy: The following table provides information relating to vocational enrolments in Northern Ireland Further Education Colleges from 1998/99 to 2001/02. The data details all enrolments on vocational courses at levels of study 1–5, over the entire academic year. Full year data has only been collected since 1998/99, and 2001/02 is the most recent year for which this information is available.
| Enrolments | |
|---|---|
| 2001/02 | 121,930 |
| 2000/01 | 130,744 |
| 1999/2000 | 124,219 |
| 1998/99 | 117,376 |
Note:The drop in enrolments for 2001/02 can be attributed to: (i) the reduction in the number of Further Education Colleges from 17 to 16 (following the merger of NIHCC with the University of Ulster) and (ii) changes regarding the re-alignment of vocational/non-vocational computing courses.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Executive Agencies
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the executive agencies that have been established by his Department since 1997; and how much has been spent on (a) staffing and (b) resourcing these agencies. [134851]
Fairtrade Products
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will take steps to encourage more schools to establish Fairtrade tuckshops; and if he will make a statement; [132985]
- (2) what steps he will take to encourage the use of Fairtrade products in school meals. [132986]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Nutritional standards prescribe the types of food that should be available from the four main food groups, but the content of the school meal and what is sold in tuck shops is decided by the LEA or the governing body of a school. However, in the Sustainable Development Action Plan that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched on 23 September, we have made clear the importance we
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attach to all forms of sustainable food procurement, including fair trade products, and are committed to disseminating good practice.
Homebuy Scheme
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether eligibility for Key Teacher Homebuy loans will be affected by total family income. [134603]
Mr. Miliband: The package of assistance announced by the Secretary of State on 21 October is designed to help retain good teachers within London with the potential to rise to leadership positions within the profession, by enabling them to purchase the types of homes that suit their needs but which may have been beyond their means until now. Although we are still in the process of finalising full details, it is very likely that teachers will only be eligible if their total family income is below a certain level.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Key Teacher Homebuy scheme will be available to teachers in all subjects. [134604]
Mr. Miliband: The package of assistance announced by the Secretary of State on 21 October is designed to help retain good teachers within London with the potential to rise to leadership positions within the profession, by enabling them to purchase the types of homes that suit their needs but which may have been beyond their means until now. Although we are still in the process of finalising full details, it is very likely that teachers in any subject will be eligible to apply.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether Key Teacher Homebuy loans will be repayable in the event of teachers (a) taking a sabbatical, (b) taking a period of secondment and (c) moving to employment in (i) an independent school and (ii) an academy in London. [134605]
Mr. Miliband: The package of assistance announced by the Secretary of State on 21 October is designed to help retain good teachers within London with the potential to rise to leadership positions within the profession, by enabling them to purchase the types of homes that suit their needs but which may have been beyond their means until now. Eligible teachers will be required to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to working within maintained sector schools (as well as Academies) within London. However, in the case of sabbaticals, secondments and work in the independent sector, periods of up to two years will be permitted before loans become repayable.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether teachers will have to repay equity loans under the Key Teacher Homebuy scheme (a) on retirement, (b) on retiring on grounds of ill-health and (c) when made redundant. [134612]
Mr. Miliband: The package of assistance announced by the Secretary of State on 21 October is designed to help retain good teachers within London with the potential to rise to leadership positions within the profession, by enabling them to purchase the types of homes that suit their needs but which may have been
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beyond their means until now. Although details are still to be finalised, we would normally only expect loans to be repaid when a property is sold or if a teacher is no longing teaching in London for more than two years, or if a teacher wishes to own the property outright and chooses to repay the loan.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria he will use to assess a teacher's suitability for an equity loan under his Department's Key Teacher Homebuy Scheme. [134613]
Mr. Miliband: The package of assistance announced by the Secretary of State on 21 October is designed to help retain good teachers within London with the potential to rise to leadership positions within the profession, by enabling them to purchase the types of homes that suit their needs but which may have been beyond their means until now. We are currently working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to develop a system that will enable us to be able to identify and prioritise those teachers who might be eligible. We expect to be able to publicise this information before the end of the year.
Modern Apprenticeships
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to encourage the creation of modern apprenticeships in the photographic sector; and if he will make a statement. [133703]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government are firmly committed to their Modern Apprenticeships (MA) programme across all sectors, including the photographic sector in England. We have demonstrated that by first commissioning and then, jointly with the Learning and Skills Council, implementing the recommendations of the Modern Apprenticeship Advisory Committee. Photography featured in the Modern Apprenticeships TV advertisements last year aimed at young people. Under Sir Roy Gardner a business-led Modern Apprenticeship Task Force is taking a key role in promoting MA to employers and thereby contributing to increased take-up. In doing so we are able to raise both the quality and expand the number of opportunities available. This action supports the Government's broader aims announced in our Skills Strategy White Paper "21st Century Skills" published recently.
The Learning and Skills Council in England determines the allocation of MA places for each sector based on local labour market needs. It is working closely with the Connexions Service, the new Sector Skills Councils (SSC) and others to increase demand for places from both young people and employers. While the number of MAs in the photographic industry is currently small, it is planned that Skillset the Trailblazer SSC for the Audio Visual Industries will shortly include Photo-Imaging, offering an exciting opportunity to further develop effective training for the sector. The number of MAs in learning are at the highest level since they were introduced in 1994—at 234,100. Over 750,000 have started since 1997.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in (a) Birkenhead and (b) Wirral have entered (i) an advanced modern apprenticeship and (ii) a foundation modern apprenticeship since the schemes' inception. [134343]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is not available for the areas requested by my right hon. Friend. However, information is available for old Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) areas and new Learning and Skills Council (LSC) areas. The table below shows the number of starts on modern apprenticeships in Greater Merseyside Learning and Skills Council (LSC) between the 26 March 2001 and the end of July 2003, as well as the number of starts from the inception of the programmes until 25 March 2001 in the four TEC areas that became part of Greater Merseyside LSC area.
| Time period | TEC/LSC | Advanced MA | Foundation MA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inception to March 01 | CEWTEC(7) | 5,500 | 2,500 |
| Merseyside | 11,900 | 8,800 | |
| St. Helens CCTE | 1 ,800 | 1,000 | |
| North & Mid Cheshire(7) | 5,300 | 1,636 | |
| March 01 to July 03 | Greater Merseyside LSC | 4,600 | 11,000 |
(7) Some of the old TEC area became part of Greater Merseyside LSC, but some of the old TEC area also became part of Cheshire and Warrington LSC.
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