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3 Nov 2003 : Column 453W—continued
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of increases in stamp duty land tax on her policy for (a) the preservation of historic piers and regeneration of seaside towns and (b) for public houses and other licensed premises; and if she will make a statement. [135615]
Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
The Government have introduced disadvantaged areas relief which provides an exemption from stamp duty land tax for transactions in non-residential land in Enterprise Areas, including several areas in seaside towns. This will provide a major boost to businesses investing in commercial premises in those areas. No assessment has been undertaken of the effect on the preservation of historic piers.
The impact of stamp duty land tax on public houses and other licensed premises was considered and discussed as part of the recent consultation process.
Tourism
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to use the creative industries in the promotion of British tourism (a) within the United Kingdom and (b) abroad. [135834]
Mr. Caborn: VisitBritain promotes Britain overseas as a tourist destination and it promotes England to the domestic market. The creative industries are an important element in its campaigns. VisitBritain's website promotes creative events taking place across the country such as opera, ballet, film, exhibitions and arts festivals. VisitBritain's current European "Short Breaks" campaign has a strong cultural message, taking advantage of the European Capital of Culture competition. Other examples of campaigns include a "movie map" which uses film locations to encourage tourism, campaigns based around individual films such as Harry Potter and Johnny English, the sponsorship of a forthcoming Britain-related fashion show in Argentina and the launch of an animated film in Japan based on the famous 'Moving Castles' Novel by Dianna Wynne Jones. Domestically, VisitBritain has worked with Warner Classics to produce an 'Essentially England' CD-Rom which uses classical music to promote tourism.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many foreign visitors she estimates visited (a) Bath, (b) York, (c) Liverpool, (d) Snowdonia, (e) Edinburgh, (f) Stratford upon Avon and (g) London in 2002–03. [135838]
Mr. Caborn: The following table shows the number of visits made by foreign residents to these places in 2002, since data on visits to areas around the UK are produced by calendar year.
Note:
Figures for Snowdonia alone are not available, but figures are available for the combined regions of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire, which contain Snowdonia.
Source:
International Passenger Survey, National Statistics
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EDUCATION AND SKILLS
International Student Visas
Mrs. Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which universities have the largest numbers of students studying on international student visas. [129426]
Alan Johnson: Information on the number of non-European Union students studying at higher education institutions in England for 2001/02 shows that the largest number of these students are studying at the universities listed in the following table. Information is not collected on the visa status of these students.
| Institution | Number |
|---|---|
| London School of Economics and Political Science | 3,425 |
| Middlesex University | 3,348 |
| The University of Oxford | 3,265 |
| The University of Cambridge | 3,065 |
| The University of Nottingham | 3,042 |
| The University of Warwick | 3,038 |
| University College London | 2,933 |
| The University of Leeds | 2,855 |
| The University of Birmingham | 2,827 |
| The Victoria University of Manchester | 2,795 |
| The University of Sheffield | 2,440 |
| The London Institute | 2,105 |
| The University of Westminster | 2,104 |
| Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine | 2,014 |
| City University | 1,872 |
| King's College London | 1,869 |
| University of Luton | 1,759 |
| The University of Leicester | 1,710 |
| Oxford Brookes University | 1,679 |
| The University of North London | 1,677 |
Employment and Social Policy, Health andConsumer Affairs Council
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the outcome was of the Employment and Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 20 October 2003; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [133984]
Mr. Pond: I have been asked to reply.
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My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers (Mr. Sutcliffe), represented the UK at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 20 October 2003.
The Council held a public debate on the Commission Communication on Immigration, Integration and Employment.
The UK stated that immigration alone would not solve Europe's demographic problem and that the Employment Strategy provided the appropriate framework for improving the participation of immigrants in the labour market. Several delegations argued that member states should meet their demand for additional labour from national and European sources before seeking immigrants from outside the EU.
On integrating immigrants, the UK stressed the need to provide language, skills and citizenship training for recent and next generation immigrants to prevent social exclusion and burdens on the public purse and argued that a job was the best means of social integration.
The Council adopted Conclusions on the open method of co-ordination of adequate and sustainable pensions. There will be a progress report to the Council on 1 December 2003 about pensions indicators.
The Council reached political agreement on a Directive protecting workers from the risks from exposure to electromagnetic fields and waves, as well as on the decision to renew the spending programme to prevent and combat violence against women, young people and children (Daphne II). The UK supported both decisions.
The Council agreed an orientation towards political agreement on Chapters 7 and 8 of Regulation 1408/71 on social security coordination. The chapters cover pre-retirement benefits and family benefits.
The Council agreed an orientation towards a political agreement on a Regulation amending Regulation 1408/71 to align provisions in readiness for the launch of European Health Card in June 2004.
The Council approved the opinion of the Social Protection Committee on a Commission Communication on streamlining open co-ordination in the field of social protection.
The Council adopted without discussion a resolution on transforming undeclared work into regular employment in the context of the European Employment Strategy, and a resolution encouraging member states to consider the provision of various services for victims of trafficking.
Under Any Other Business, the Belgians presented a short paper on Growth and Competitiveness.
No Health or Consumer Affairs items were on the agenda.
No votes were taken at this Council.
Fieldwork
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment he has made
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of the implications of access to field work in schools for the promotion of environmental awareness; and whether the provision for field work within the national curriculum will ensure that enough employees with adequate skills are available to bodies who carry out environmental impact assessments; [135904]
- (2) what assessment he has made of whether the encouragement of fieldwork as a teaching method is adequately supported by teacher training courses; [135905]
(3) what assessment he has made of the Growing Schools Initiative as a sufficient alternative to a formal requirement for out of classroom activity for the (a) science GCSE and (b) biology A-level curricula; [135906]
(4) whether his Green Action Plan for Education will specify the need for out of class room activity as part of the national curriculum for appropriate subjects. [135907]
Mr. Miliband: No assessment has been made of the implications of access to fieldwork in schools for the promotion of environmental awareness. It is important to note, however, that there are requirements for Education for Sustainable Development both in Geography and in Science, including science GCSE and AS/A Level qualifications.
Although the National Curriculum is not designed to provide vocational training, under the proposed 14–19 reforms set out in the Green Paper 'Excellence and Opportunity', young people would have greater flexibility in selecting their options, and may choose to pursue courses which cover environmental impacts.
No assessment has been made of whether the encouragement of fieldwork as a teaching method is adequately supported by teacher training courses. However, under the standards for qualified teacher status and requirements for initial teacher training, teacher trainers use non-school settings such as fieldwork, visits to museums and other off-site locations. All newly qualified teachers are now required to be able to plan opportunities for pupils to learn in out-of-school contexts. Teacher training providers can also take trainees' prior achievement into account. This means, for example, that a trainee teacher who has previously worked in a fieldwork centre can have this experience taken into account when their training needs are assessed.
In addition to this, we anticipate that, over time, our new Science Learning Centres, the preferred suppliers for six of which along with a national centre were recently announced, will help science teachers and technicians to develop their skills in out of the classroom teaching.
No assessment has been made of the Growing Schools Programme providing an alternative to out of classroom activity for Science GCSE or 'A' level biology because it is not an alternative. Growing Schools supports teachers in using the outdoors for teaching subjects across the curriculum for pupils of all ages, including in Science GCSE and Biology A level.
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The Department's Sustainable Action Plan for Education and Skills does not specify the need for out of classroom activity as part of the National Curriculum. However the Geography programmes of study at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 do specify the requirement for all pupils to carry out fieldwork investigations outside the classroom.
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