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26 Feb 2004 : Column 539W—continued

Departmental Minutes

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his Department's policy to make notes of (a) meetings and (b) telephone conversations involving Ministers; and under what circumstances no notes would be taken. [149529]

Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 20 January 2004]: The Department follows the central "Guidance on the Management of Private Office Papers", which makes clear that good record management procedures are necessary not least to ensure accountability and provide an audit trail. Among the records covered by the guidance are Ministers' meetings and telephone conversations.

Funds/Grants

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the (a) standards funds and (b) special grants in operation; and if he will make a statement. [156591]

Mr. Miliband: The following table shows the Standards Fund grants and special grants allocated by the Department of Education and Skills in 2003–04. The figures include Government grant and local authority contributions where required.

Standards Fund Grants 2003–04

	Allocations(£ million)
Leadership Incentive Grant	174.9
Targeted Improvement Grant	38.3
Special Educational Needs	79.0
Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Education and Prevention	12.4
Study Support (National)	54.5
Study Support (Excellence in Cities)	18.8
Study Support: Quality Development Programme	0.6
Investigation and Referral Support Co-ordinators	1.2
Vulnerable Children	80.1
National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies	211.9
Primary Behaviour Pilot	4.3
Key Stage 3 Strategy	218.9
Ethnic Minority Achievement	155.0
Raising Achievement of African Caribbean Pupils Project	0.5
National Primary Strategy English as an Additional Language Pilot Project	0.4
Gypsy-Traveller Achievement Project	0.2
Education Health Partnerships	5.7
Music Services	54.5
Playing for Success	4.7
Early Excellence Centres	16.4
School Achievement Awards	59.1
New Excellence Clusters	29.3
Behaviour Improvement Programme	65.9
Aimhigher (pre-16)	25.4
Summer Schools for Gifted and Talented Children	3.8
Gifted and Talented Children: Sports Grant	0.3
Specialist Schools	195.2
Beacon Schools	40.6
City Learning Centres	26.0
Diversity Pathfinders	0.7
Extended Schools	7.7
Federations	3.3
Leading Edge Schools	5.6
14–19 Pathfinders	9.0
Enterprise Learning Pathfinders	4.7
Key Stage 2 Language Pathfinders	3.0
Golden Hello Payments	7.1
Training Schools	4.7
Advanced Skills Teachers	57.4
School Support Staff	268.0
School Support Staff: Training and Development	35.5
LEA Support for School Workforce Remodelling	15.0
Teacher Sabbaticals	9.9
Early Professional Development Pilot Scheme	8.8
Transforming School Workforce Pathfinder	1.0
Fast Track Pay for Teachers	0.9
Fresh Start and New Partnerships	19.9
Information Communication Technology in Schools: Infrastructure	284.2
Information Communications Technology In Schools: Broadband Connectivity	71.0
Devolved Formula Capital	561.9
Seed Challenge Capital	60.0
Staff Workspaces	25.0
Capital Funding for Nursery Education in Disadvantaged Areas	20.0
Capital Projects	49.2
e-Learning Credits	99.9
Interactive Whiteboards (London)	15.0
Laptops for Teachers	59.9
Electronic Registration Systems in Secondary Schools	1.5
	Other grants paid through the Standards Fund payment system
School Standards Grant	800.1
Additional Budget Support Grant	28.2
London Budget Support Grant	11.3
Performance Pay Funding	202.5
Teachers Threshold Grant	549.9
Capital Flexibility Funding for Voluntary Aided Schools	7.7
Special Grants 2003–2004
Excellence in Cities and Excellence Clusters	219.1
Excellent and 3* Education Authorities(16)	27.4
Condition Funding	445.3
Total	5,579.5

⁽¹⁶⁾ Grant for local authorities rated Excellent and 3* Education under the Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment 2002

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Further and Higher Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the rate of participation in (a) higher and (b) further education was in each ward in each of the principal seaside towns in England and Wales in the latest month for which figures are available, listed in descending order, with figures for Welsh seaside towns disaggregated; and if he will make a statement on measures the Government are taking to increase participation in each case. [154961]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 23 February 2004]: The information covering England is not held centrally; figures for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Data on the percentage of students participating in education or training are not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs, as reliable estimates cannot be made.

The available data for FE show participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17 year olds, and are published in an annual National Statistics Bulletin, 'Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in Each Local Area in England'. This latest bulletin is published solely on the DfES website: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsqatewav/DB/SBU/b000369/index.shtml

Table three gives participation rates for 16 year olds in full-time education by Local Education Authority, 1998 to 2000, the latest year for which figures are available. Copies of the Bulletin have been placed in the Libraries.

The available data for HE show the proportion of 18 year olds from each LEA who were accepted for entry to full-time undergraduate courses, and are shown in the table.

The Aimhigher programme seeks to improve the attainment of young people in disadvantaged areas, and to raise their aspirations towards higher education. In 2004, Aimhigher will merge with "Partnerships for Progression", a programme funded jointly by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Learning and Skills Council. This will create a new, national outreach programme which will operate most intensively in deprived areas. The new programme will cover all seaside towns in England.

Learning and Skills Council

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what buildings are owned by the Learning and Skills Council; what the estimated value is of each; and if he will make a statement. [156592]

Alan Johnson: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Modern Apprenticeships

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many businesses provided

26 Feb 2004 : Column 542W

places for modern apprenticeships for the first time in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 to support trainees receiving training through (i) further education colleges and (ii) private training organisations. [150005]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Ofsted

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of Ofsted was in each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06 (estimate); how many staff were employed in each year; and if he will make a statement. [156611]

Mr. Miliband: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will answer the question, reference no. 143066, tabled by the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 4 December 2003. [151034]

Alan Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today, and I apologise for the delay in replying. The data he requested on students completing three year courses in 2003 have only recently become available.

Portsmouth City Council

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors underlay the decision of his Department to require Portsmouth City Council to consolidate the one-off additional budget supplementary grant for 2003–04 into the 2004–05 settlement. [157282]

Mr. Miliband: In 2003–04, the Department made available an additional budget support grant of £28 million to ensure all authorities received at least a minimum increase of 3.2 per cent. per pupil, after taking account of the effect of the Standards Fund and teachers' pension changes.

Portsmouth's share of this was £891,000. This grant has been added to the 2003–04 baseline and Portsmouth's 5 per cent. per pupil Schools Formula Spending Share increase is on top of this enlarged baseline. Therefore, the SFSS for 2004–05 incorporates the £891,000 and the Government expect authorities to passport the full increase in SFSS into the Schools Budget. Portsmouth's Revenue Support Grant for 2004–05 also incorporates this funding as the increase in Revenue Support Grant of 4.2 per cent. was also on top of a baseline that included the £891,000 grant.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has given to (a) Portsmouth City Council and (b) other local education authorities on funding his 4 per cent. pledge to schools in 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [157283]

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Mr. Miliband: The Department has provided detailed guidance to local education authorities concerning the funding changes for 2004–05 through the teachernet website and through direct letters. The Department ensured that every authority received an increase in Schools Formula Spending Share per pupil of at least 5 per cent., compared to the 4 per cent. minimum guarantee for schools. The Department continues to be in dialogue with the handful of authorities that are having difficulty in implementing the guarantee.

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