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27 Feb 2004 : Column 584W—continued
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Child Poverty
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020, (b) halving it by 2010 and (c) reducing it by a quarter by 2004–05; and if she will make a statement. [154371]
Estelle Morris: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 12 February 2004, Official Report, columns 1590–91W.
Live Music Task Force
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) budget and (b) aims of the live music task force are; and if she will make a statement. [157783]
Estelle Morris: The information is as follows:
(a) The Live Music Forum does not have an allocated budget, as its work is essentially advisory.
(b) The Forum's aims are to: take forward the commitment made by the Government during the passage of the Licensing Act 2003, to maximise the take-up of reforms in that Act relating to the performance of live music; promote the performance of live music generally; monitor and evaluate the impact of the 2003 Act on the performance of live music; and make recommendations for further action.
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Scottish Football Industry
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what responsibilities her Department has in relation to the Scottish football industry; and if she will make a statement. [156855]
Mr. Caborn: Sport is a devolved matter. This is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Individual Learning Account
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects the auditing of Individual Learning Account learning providers to be completed; and if he will make a statement. [156404]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department's Compliance Unit expects to have completed the majority of its Individual Learning Account (ILA) claim validation checks by late summer 2004. Of those registered, learning providers subject to review 68 are currently with the police. It is not possible to assess the time it will take for the police to complete their investigations.
The Department remains committed to making payments to learning providers where ILA claims are properly validated.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many claims from Individual Learning Account learning providers have (a) been audited with evidence of fraud discovered, (b) been audited without fraud being discovered and received any outstanding payments and (c) not yet been audited; and if he will make a statement. [156405]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Since closure of the Individual Learning Account (ILA) programme reviews carried out by the Department have resulted in: (a) evidence of potential fraud being found in connection with 159 registered learning providers of which 68 are with the police; (b) investigations and validation checks completed enabling 352 learning providers to be cleared or closed with the Department making payments of £1.1 million to 33 learning providers; and (c) 278 learning providers with whom the Department is still carrying out investigation and validation work by seeking further evidence, reviewing such evidence or negotiating a settlement.
In addition, as at 24 February 2004, 186 learning providers have made claims following the ruling on ILAs by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. 119 claims from learning providers have been reviewed. Of those reviewed, 40 claims could not be validated and payments of £147,920 are being made to 79 providers. A further 67 claims from providers are in process of being validated.
The Department will continue to pursue those providers that have wrongfully claimed from the public purse and where appropriate seek repayment. Where there is evidence of potential fraud, providers are referred to the police. In cases where claims are properly validated, the Department has in place arrangements to pay the outstanding claims.
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Schools (Financial Management)
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the ability of local education authorities to assist schools in improving their financial management skills. [157070]
Mr. Miliband: We have made no specific and separate assessment. However, we continue to work closely with LEAs to provide financial management support for schools. The National College for School Leadership and KPMG have provided a workshop programme for head teachers and governors. By the end of March 2004, we expect that leaders from just over 1,000 schools identified by their LEAs will have attended. Consultancy support from KPMG is also available to participating schools that need it, and an extensive website provides financial management advice to all LEAs and schools. LEAs have worked closely with the Department to provide consistent financial reporting data, allowing schools to benchmark their financial situation with other similar schools.
Medical Practitioner Fees
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual fee is for a student studying to be a medical practitioner from (a) the UK, (b) another country in the European Union and (c) a country outside the European Union. [155877]
Alan Johnson: The fees for medical students from:
- (a) England and Wales are £1,125 (maximum) in 2003/04;
- (b) Elsewhere in the European Union—likewise £1,125 (maximum) in 2003/4; and
- (c) Countries outside the European Union are generally around £7,000 to £18,000 per year, depending on the institution and the type of course.
Students under (a) and (b) have their fees paid for them by the Department of Health from the fifth year of the course onwards.
School-University Relationship
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information his Department collates on the relationship between an individual's first secondary school attended and the likelihood of attending university by the age of (a) 20, (b) 25 and (c) 30 years of age; and if he will make a statement. [155622]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 25 February 2004]: Cohort 8 of the Youth Cohort Survey (YCS) provides the most recent data for participation in higher education at ages 18 to 19 and 20 to 21 by an individual's secondary school type (pre-16).
| School type | Participation rate at 18 to 19 | Participation rate at 20 to 21 |
|---|---|---|
| State | 25 | 41 |
| Independent | 52 | 82 |
Source:
Youth Cohort Study: Cohort 8, Sweep 2 (1998) and 3 (2000).
Research published by the Department in 2003: "An Econometric Analysis of the Demand for Higher Education" by Gayle, V. Berridge, D. and Davies, R. B.
27 Feb 2004 : Column 587W
(DfES Research Report 472) uses data from cohort 9 of the YCS and shows that after controlling for the effects of GCSE and A level attainment, a number of factors (including Year 11 schooling) have statistically significant effects on the likelihood of an individual attending university at age 18.
The report can be accessed on the Department's research publications website: www.dfes.gov.uk/research
Sector Skills Agency
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) cost in the last financial year and (b) purpose is of the Sector Skills Agency; and if he will make a statement. [156588]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Sector Skills Development Agency total expenditure for the year 2002–03, its first year of operation, was £15.95 million.
The Sector Skills Development Agency is responsible for developing a network of Sector Skills Councils, the Skills for Business network whose mission is to promote world-leading skills and productivity performance in all business sectors in all regions and nations of the UK.
I am very encouraged by the progress being made by the Agency in establishing a high quality Skills for Business network. 11 Sector Skills Councils have now been licensed and there are plans to license a further 12 Sector Skills Councils by the summer 2004.
Student Loans
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills with how many graduates who were in receipt of income contingent loans the Student Loans Company has lost contact since graduation; and what proportion of the total this represents. [155453]
Alan Johnson: Data from the Student Loans Company indicate that it is currently attempting to trace 3,400 borrowers. This represents 0.4 per cent. of the total number of borrowers who will have entered liability to repay up to and including April 2004.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown by expenditure category of the £2 billion annual Government spending on student loans referred to in Note 82 on Page 16 of the Explanatory Notes for the Higher Education Bill. [155455]
Alan Johnson: The figure of £2 billion in Note 82 on Page 16 of the Explanatory Notes for the Higher Education Bill refers to the annual cash cost to the Government of issuing student loans.
In financial year 2002–03, the amount lent to England and Wales domiciled borrowers in student loans was £2,293 million, of which £2,278 million was in respect of income contingent loans, and £15 million was in respect of mortgage style loans.
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