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29 Oct 2003 : Column 289W—continued

Passports

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much a passport cost in each year from 1997. [134005]

Mr. Mullin: The fee for a standard adult passport issued by a British diplomatic mission in each of the years from 1997 is as in the following table.

	£
1997 to 25 March 1998	18.00
26 March 1998 to 11 April 1999	31.00
12 April 1999 to 15 December 1999	43.00
16 December 1999 to 20 November 2002	49.00
2 November 2002 to 1 October 2003	54.40
2 October 2003 to present	56.50

Sri Lanka

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 16 October 2003, Official Report, column 334W, on Sri Lanka, if he will list the non-governmental organisations whose representatives he met in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [134425]

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Mr. MacShane: My hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Mike O'Brien) visited Colombo in January of this year. During his visit he met with representatives from international and national non-governmental organisations including the World Bank, UNICEF, UNHCR, United Nations Development Programme, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sri Lanka First and the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka.

West Bank/Gaza Strip

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 16 October 2003, Official Report, columns 336–37W, when he last had discussions with representatives of the Government of Israel concerning demolitions and destruction of infrastructure in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; what (a) explanations and (b) assurances were offered by Israel; and if he will make a statement. [134430]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has urged Israel to improve the humanitarian situation throughout the Occupied Territories in his contacts with Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. My Noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean expressed the Government's serious concerns about the demolition of Palestinian property in a meeting with Israel's ambassador, Zvi Shtauber, on 22 October. In previous discussions with representatives of the Government of Israel on this issue, security concerns have been cited for military operations conducted in the Occupied Territories which have resulted in the destruction of Palestinian infrastructure. Israel has in the past undertaken to ensure such operations have a minimal impact on the Palestinian population. We recognise the Israeli authorities have a legitimate right of self defence against terrorist attacks, but we continue to urge them to ensure their response to the threat is proportionate.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Learning

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has commissioned into communities which are under-represented in participation in adult learning. [134981]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has not commissioned research on geographical communities but has a number of research studies underway or recently completed that examine groups which are under-represented in adult learning.

Adult learning participation has been regularly researched through the National Adult Learning Survey of over 6,000 adults in England and Wales. The results from the most recent survey in 2002 were published by the Department in April this year. They include analysis of the barriers to learning that people face as well as their learning patterns and attitudes. A longitudinal follow-up to a sub sample of the respondents to the 2001 survey, called Pathways in Adult Learning 2003, will be published in spring 2004.

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A tracking survey of 2,000 learners who have participated in Adult and Community Learning is also underway. The research will analyse the characteristics and motivations of those who participate in such learning, and the longer term outcomes. The first sweep is underway, and results will be published in spring 2004.

The Department has commissioned evaluations of policies that help those under-represented in learning. The Adult and Community Learning Fund, set up in 1998 to support local community based adult learning, has regularly been evaluated. The most recent evaluation was published by the National Foundation for Educational Research in July 2002.

Adult Guidance Pilots, which ran until March 2003, provided advice and guidance on learning and work opportunities to people facing particularly difficult barriers, such as those with low or basic skills, ex-offenders and refugees. The results of the evaluation will be published early in 2004.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangement he will make to monitor and develop the public strategy for widening adult educational participation. [134982]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We will be monitoring and developing public strategy for widening adult educational participation through the implementation of the commitments set out in the White Paper 21st Century Skills, Realising Our Potential. In particular the new Skills Alliance of key Government Departments, economic partners and key delivery agencies is driving forward the Skills Strategy delivery plan. This includes work on the Learning and Skills Council's strategy, Successful Participation for All: Widening Adult Participation.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking in conjunction with other Government departments and public bodies to support the Learning and Skills Council's strategy for widening adult participation. [134983]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government fully supports the Learning and Skills Council's recently published strategy, Successful Participation for All: Widening Adult Participation. It has an important role to play in implementing the Skills Strategy. My Department is represented on the LSC's Widening Adult Participation Implementation Group along with representatives from Further Education Colleges, Local Authorities and other providers. The LSC is maintaining and developing partnerships with a wide range of Government Departments and Public Bodies in order to realise its long term vision for widening adult participation.

Beacon Schools

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have become beacon schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [133686]

Mr. Miliband: The Beacon Programme was introduced in September 1998. The programme started with 75 schools, increasing to almost 1,150 schools in six subsequent expansion phases by September 2002. A

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detailed breakdown, including the 120 schools which are no longer in the Beacon Programme, has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have lost beacon status in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [133687]

Mr. Miliband: 120 schools have left the Beacon Programme since it started in September 1998. 57 of these transferred to the Leading Edge Partnership Programme. A detailed breakdown has been placed in the Library.

Foundation Degrees

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost is of the current advertising campaign for foundation degrees. [134976]

Alan Johnson: The current Foundation Degree advertising campaign commenced August 2003 and will run until end March 2004 at a total cost of £2,800,000. This figure includes extensive national press, targeted trade and business press and on-line advertising. Of the total figure, £850,000 is for a national press and local radio campaign planned for the new year.

GCSE

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils in Lancashire passed five or more GCSEs at grades A-C in each year since 1992. [134903]

Mr. Miliband: The percentage of pupils who achieved 5 or more grades A*-C at GCSE/GNVQ in Lancashire Local Education Authority since 1992 is shown in the following table:

Academic year	Percentage of 15 year olds achieving five or more grades A*-C GCSE/GNVQ
1992	36.5
1993	39.4
1994	41.1
1995	41.7
1996	42.6
1997	43.8
1998	47.0
1999	48.0
2000	49.6
2001	50.1
2002	51.7
2003(14)	52.9

⁽¹⁴⁾ Provisional

The figures prior to 1998 are not directly comparable with the later years because of the local government reorganisation that took place in 1998.

Higher Education Teachers' Pay

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has, in conjunction with the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to change the formula for payments for teaching by higher education institutions; and what

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representations he has received about the transition to any new formula and therefrom to a future regime permitting top-up fees. [134124]

Alan Johnson: The Higher Education Funding Council for England is consulting the higher education sector on proposed changes to its funding method for teaching for 2004–05. The deadline for responses is 14 November. The consultation document "Developing the funding method for teaching from 2003–05" is available on the HEFCE website at http://www.hefce. ac.uk/Pubs/hefce/2003/03 427.

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