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2 Feb 2004 : Column 669W—continued
School Buses
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many serious accidents have occurred on school bus journeys in England in the last five years as a consequence of the behaviour of pupils travelling unsupervised on the bus. [151864]
Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 29 January 2004]: Road accident statistics are a matter for the Department for Transport. Their road accident statistics do not record whether bus accidents affecting children occur on school buses or public service buses, or record the causes of accidents.
School Meals and Trips
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils in Essex were provided by the county council with school meals in each year from 1990 to 2003. [150909]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The information requested is not available centrally.
The Department collects information on free school meals as part of the annual schools' Census, but not the total number of all (that is, free and paid for) school meals.
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had on introducing charitable status for the provision of (a) school meals and (b) school trips. [151275]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: My Department has not had any discussions about introducing charitable status for the provision of school meals or school trips.
Training and Enterprise Council
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place the audited statutory accounts for Training and Enterprise Council in England for financial year ending 25 March 2001 in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [151858]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have made arrangements for copies of the audited statutory accounts for the 72 TECs in England to be placed in the Library.
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Undergraduates (Bankruptcy)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate students in England have declared themselves bankrupt in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [151713]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 29 January 2004]: The following table shows the number of student loan borrowers, both graduates and undergraduates, who have had bankruptcy orders made against them since 1992. There are no figures showing undergraduates as a separate group.
| Bankrupt year(19) | Number of borrowers(20) , (21) , (22) , (23) |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 8 |
| 1993 | 13 |
| 1994 | 22 |
| 1995 | 40 |
| 1996 | 49 |
| 1997 | 77 |
| 1998 | 97 |
| 1999 | 142 |
| 2000 | 153 |
| 2001 | 249 |
| 2002 | 276 |
| 2003 | (24)899 |
| Total | 2,025 |
(19) Calendar year in which the borrower became bankrupt.
(20) Data show the number of student loan borrowers.
(21) Includes borrowers who may or may not have graduated from their course.
(22) Includes all types of students (including PGCE—Postgraduate Certificate of Education students).
(23) Data cover both types of student loan—Mortgage Style (including loans sold to the private sector) and Income Contingent.
(24) The increase in the numbers of bankruptcies in 2003 seems to be as a result of greater public awareness that students loans are provable in bankruptcy.
Source:
Student Loans Company.
University of Lincolnshire and Humberside
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) reports he has received and (b) action he has taken in response to the termination of the University of Humberside enrolment programme in July 1999. [152194]
Alan Johnson: I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the actions taken in July 1999 by the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside to terminate its recruitment to franchised courses in Israel. I have
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received no report or taken any action. However, I understand that the University (now entitled the University of Lincoln) has been cooperating with the relevant authorities in Israel and is keeping the Higher Education Funding Council for England informed of any developments.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many branches of the University of Humberside have been established since its franchise operation was first introduced; and in which countries. [152197]
Alan Johnson: The Department does not maintain lists of the overseas franchise arrangements of UK universities. However, I am aware that that the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside (now renamed University of Lincoln) ceased recruitment to all of its overseas franchise operations in 2000.
University Overseas Franchises
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which universities have established overseas franchise operations; and which overseas universities, colleges and other bodies have agreed to facilitate these partnerships. [152198]
Alan Johnson: The Department does not maintain lists of the overseas franchise arrangements of UK universities. However, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) carries out audits which cover the arrangements by which an awarding institution secures the standards of its awards and the effectiveness of its quality management arrangements for partnership links both within and outside the UK. Since 1996 it has audited 109 overseas collaborative links involving 64 HEIs in 24 countries.
Working Skills
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people in the working age population in the West Midlands with no qualifications. [149831]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 26 January 2004]: We are committed to raising the skill levels of adults in the workforce, and in particular, supporting adults with no, or low qualifications to gain qualifications that give them the foundation skills for employability.
The Skills Strategy White Paper, "21st Century Skills Realising Our Potential", published in July last year, set out a number of key measures to address this issue. And we have already put in place support for adults with basic skill needs through our Skills for Life Strategy.
The White Paper announced the introduction of a new entitlement to free learning for all those studying for their first full level 2 qualification as foundation for employability. We have begun to pilot the introduction of a new adult learning grant of up to £30 a week for full time learners studying for their first NVQ Level 2 qualification or equivalent.
We have also put in place a strategy to ensure that low-skilled adults receive high quality information, advice and guidance to help them choose the right course for them.
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We are running 12 Employer Training Pilots, of which two are in the West Midlands, to encourage employers to invest in skills and qualifications, particularly for low skilled trainees. They are testing out a package of financial support measures to improve access to training and enable employees to develop basic skills and NVQ level 2 qualifications.
In the West Midlands, six professional development centres have been established as a result of partnerships between the local LSCs and the Universities of Wolverhampton, Warwick, Worcestershire and Staffordshire. These are aimed at providing support and opportunities for all those working across the spectrum of Skills for Life delivery—teachers, voluntary sector workers and those working in Adult and Community Learning.
We are working nationally to engage employers in activity to address the basic skills needs of their employees. This includes raising demand in the workplace and ensuring that appropriate advice and guidance is available to employers to help them establish the learning programmes they require for their employees. In the West Midlands, we have established a group of employer champions who will push the message that basic skills are important to other employers.
Advantage West Midlands has responded to our invitation to RDAs and their regional partners to draw up proposals for Regional Skills Partnerships. The Partnerships aim to ensure that the work of different agencies involved in delivering the aims of the Skills Strategy—the Learning and Skills Councils, Jobcentre Plus, the Skills for Business network, the Small Business Service and others—are better co-ordinated and delivered in a way that connects with the needs of employers at individual and regional, local and sectoral levels. We will be talking to Advantage West Midlands about their proposal and their plans to set up the Partnership in the West Midlands in April 2004.
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