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4 Nov 2003 : Column 582W—continued
NORTHERN IRELAND
Asbestos
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 707W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings which have been identified as containing asbestos. [130950]
Mr. Pearson: Two schedules, one of which lists those buildings within the Northern Ireland Civil Service office estate that contain asbestos, and one of which lists the specialist buildings owned by NICS departments that contain asbestos, will be placed in the Library.
Concessionary Fares
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland hold a Translink senior smart pass issued under the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares scheme. [136139]
Mr. Spellar: Translink report that, up to 30 October 2003, 166,345 Senior smart passes have been issued under the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares scheme.
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Driving Licences
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland hold a driving licence. [136137]
Angela Smith: Figures at 31 October 2003 show that 1,191,574 people in Northern Ireland hold a valid driving licence.
Electoral Identity Cards
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been issued with an electoral identity card in each of the parliamentary constituencies. [136136]
Mr. Spellar: The number of cards issued at 31 October 2003 in each of the 18 Northern Ireland constituencies is as follows:
| Constituency | Number of cards issued |
|---|---|
| Foyle | 7,093 |
| East Londonderry | 4,338 |
| North Antrim | 5,091 |
| East Antrim | 3,299 |
| Mid-Ulster | 4,465 |
| West Tyrone | 5,376 |
| Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 5,380 |
| Upper Bann | 3,974 |
| Newry and Armagh | 4,038 |
| South Down | 4,326 |
| Lagan Valley | 4,208 |
| Strangford | 3,865 |
| South Antrim | 3,590 |
| North Down | 2,929 |
| Belfast, East | 3,700 |
| Belfast, South | 3,453 |
| Belfast, West | 6,339 |
| Belfast, North | 5,789 |
| Total | 81,253 |
Passports
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland hold (a) a British and (b) an Irish passport. [136138]
Mr. Paul Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has advised me that records are not kept on the numbers of British passports issued in a particular region of the United Kingdom.
Irish passports are the responsibility of the Irish Government.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Adult and Community Learning Fund
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future of the Adult and Community Learning Fund. [134979]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have decided to transfer the available budget to the Learning and Skills Council from April 2004. The money will be used to support the LSC's Widening Participation Strategy, meet our Skills
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Strategy commitment to build on the experience of the ACLF, and complement the LSC's strategy for working with the voluntary and community sectors. The decision has the support of NIACE and the LSC.
Asian Language Teaching
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to include Asian languages as part of modern language education at primary level. [132726]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The National Languages Strategy, "Languages for All: Languages for Life", published in December 2002, sets out the Government's commitment that all pupils throughout Key Stage 2 will have the entitlement to learn a language at least in part in class time by the end of this decade. That entitlement must comprise one of the working languages of the European Union. Schools are able to take local decisions about which languages they will offer, and whether or not they wish to teach a community language alongside the teaching of a European language. If a school wishes to teach additional languages, including Asian languages, they are free to do so.
By September 2005, specimen materials for three initial stages of the developing National Recognition System, which will endorse language competence, will be available in a number of languages including Urdu and Punjabi. By 2006, similar materials will also be available in Bengali, Gujarati and Hindi. All of these materials will support the initial stages of language learning, including learning undertaken by young people.
Condover Hall School
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, (1) if he will make a statement on the range of disabilities of children at Condover Hall School; [135321]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the average funding per pupil at Condover Hall School in the last year for which figures are available;. [135322]
(3) if he will publish the correspondence between his Department and the Royal National Institute for the Blind on the closure of Condover Hall School. [135287]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 30 October]: We understand that Condover Hall School makes provision for pupils who are visually impaired with multiple and complex needs. Some children are non-ambulant. The School also makes specialist provision for deaf-blind pupils.
As a non-maintained special school, local education authorities placing children at Condover Hall negotiate with the school about the fees to be paid for each child. Fee levels vary depending on the complexity of the child's needs and the type of placement, for example, day placement, weekly boarding, 38 week or in some cases 52 week boarding. Average funding per pupil varies between around £30,000 p.a. and £100,000 p.a. depending on the type of placement. In the current financial year Condover Hall received around £70,000 in grants from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), designed to raise standards.
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My Department was formally notified by the RNIB about the proposed closure of Condover Hall in a letter dated 24 July this year. As my hon. Friend the Minister for School Standards said in his reply to the hon. Gentleman's earlier questions about Condover Hall School, officials at the DfES have asked the RNIB to clarify its plans for the closure of Condover Hall, and in particular to explain how the RNIB intends to ensure that appropriate and realistic plans for the placement of children currently attending the school are in place. They are currently awaiting a response. Copies of the relevant correspondence have been forwarded to the hon. Member.
Education (16-year-olds)
Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 16-year-olds stayed in full-time education and training in Stoke-on-Trent local education authority in each year since 1997. [135479]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The percentage of 16-year-olds participating in full-time education, and in education and training in Stoke-on-Trent local education authority for end 1997 to end 2000, the latest available year, are shown in the table.
| End 1997 | End 1998 | End 1999 | End 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time education(6) | 49 | 52 | 58 | 60 |
| Education and training | (7)n/a | 68 | 73 | 78 |
(6) Includes participation in full-time education, part-time education and government supported training.
(7) Education and training figures by LEA were first published for 1998.
Note:
Population data do not include any revisions following the 2001 census.
Source:
DfES Statistical Bulletin, published 16 December 2002.
Participation rates by LEA for 16-year-olds are published in an annual statistical bulletin, 'Participation in Education and Training by Young People Aged 16 and 17 in Each Local Area and Region, England'.
Educational Maintenance Allowance
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he decided to set the maximum educational maintenance allowance at £30 per week; and if he will make a statement. [134257]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Decisions about the various elements of the national scheme were taken in June 2003, including the maximum weekly payment. This has drawn on evidence from the pilot scheme. This information was then disseminated to local partners and schools and colleges in the form of a general leaflet; copies of this were also placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the cost of the national introduction of educational maintenance allowances in (a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06 and (c) 2006–07 if the upper limit is set at (i) £30 per week and (ii) £40 per week. [134258]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: The EMA pilot has been extensively evaluated, including those variants testing different maximum payments. We have drawn from the evidence to develop what I believe will be the most effective model for the national EMA scheme. Evidence indicated that an upper limit of £40 per week was no more effective at increasing participation than the maximum of £30 per week. We have, however, been able to raise the lower threshold for receiving the maximum payment to £19,000 compared to £13,000 in the pilot scheme.
The estimated cost of the scheme for each of the three years is:
| Cost (£ million) | Estimated number of young people on EMA | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 238 | 274,000 |
| 2005–06 | 374 | 390,000 |
| 2006–07 | 462 | 439,000 |
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is planning to promote the take-up of educational maintenance allowances; and if he will make a statement. [134259]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Plans to promote the take up of the national EMA scheme focus on three main phases of promotional activity, which are:
- February 2004—a helpline opens for young people and their parents, along with an interactive website and a main promotion launch.
April/May 2004—second phase of the main promotional activity to raise awareness to coincide with the application packs being made available from April.
August/September 2004—third phase of main promotional activity to coincide with GCSE results and enrolment in further education.
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