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2 Mar 2004 : Column 885W—continued
School Nurses
Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what part in community nursing teams is played by school nurses. [153899]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 9 February 2004]: School nurses deliver health services to the school aged population with a focus on health promotion and preventing ill health. They are generally employed by primary care trusts and work closely with visitors, child health services, social care and education.
Alongside their community nursing colleagues, school nurses will identify the health needs of the population and deliver public health and health care interventions that address local and national priorities.
SunSmart Scheme
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how he intends to increase the profile of (a) the issue of skin cancer and (b) methods of effective sun protection through the SunSmart scheme; [155280]
- (2) how much funding will be provided for the SunSmart campaign for summer 2004; [155281]
(3) what account the SunSmart campaign will take of tanning shops. [155282]
Miss Melanie Johnson: A new sun awareness initiative, the SunSmart campaign, was launched in March 2003, funded by United Kingdom Health Departments and run by Cancer Research UK.
The campaign is based on the successful SunSmart campaign in Australia. The campaign has received interim funding of £50,000 this year from the UK Health Departments. Decisions on further funding for SunSmart will be made in due course.
The campaign's aim is to increase the profile of the issue of skin cancer and methods of effective sun protection. The key objectives are to increase knowledge of the causes of skin cancer, to increase awareness of actions that can be taken to prevent skin cancer and to influence positively attitudes to sun protection.
Wide dissemination of SunSmart messages will be achieved through the media and by supporting education and health professionals locally. The campaign is working with the Department for
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Education and Skills and teachers to develop guidelines to encourage schools to adopt their own SunSmart policies and curricular activities.
Tanning shops and the potential dangers involved in the use of sunbeds will be the subject of a meeting of experts and industry hosted by SunSmart on 29 March. The campaign will review the latest scientific evidence and to develop practical recommendations for better self-regulation.
SunSmart achieved mass media coverage for skin cancer issues in 2003, reaching 76 per cent. of UK adults, and will use similar techniques this spring/summer to keep skin cancer high profile with the public.
In addition to the SunSmart campaign, we continue to fund the Meteorological Office to provide the Ultra-Violet index in the media (television, radio, Meteorological Office website).
The Department also provides core funding to the National Radiological Protection Board, which has expertise on ultra-violet radiation issues relevant to the public health aspects of the prevention of skin cancer.
Tuberculosis
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new cases of tuberculosis were diagnosed in London in each year since 1995. [155093]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 23 February 2004]: The information requested is shown in the table.
Data on tuberculosis notifications are available from the Health Protection Agency at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics az/tb/epidemiology/table5.htm.
| Tuberculosis notifications in London | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,042 |
| 1996 | 2,190 |
| 1997 | 2,411 |
| 1998 | 2,444 |
| 1999 | 2,493 |
| 2000 | 2,834 |
| 2001 | 2,886 |
| 2002 | 2,850 |
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Skilled Workers
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the supply of skilled workers in key areas, with particular reference to (a) the construction industry, (b) plumbing, (c) the NHS and (d) the education system. [157586]
Mr. Miliband: The Skills Strategy (published in July 2003) set out our plans for identifying skill needs across the economy.
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In relation to the particular areas highlighted:
The construction industry and plumbing
Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are being established to identify and define the skills that employers need to raise productivity in all major sectors of the economy. Construction is one of four sectors pioneering new Sector Skills Agreements to deliver on this agenda.
Construction was highlighted as a priority curriculum area in "Success for All: Our Vision for the Future" the Government's strategy for reforming further education and training published in November 2002.
The 2003 National Employers Skills Survey shows the construction sector as having a relatively high number of skill shortage vacancies per employee in comparison to other sectors.
Forecast future requirements in the construction sector are of an annual net requirement between 2003 and 2007 of 54,000 construction workers and 6,000 plumbers. This is to replace both an ageing workforce and to meet an expansion of the sector.
Supply is expected to meet this increased future demand. In 2001/02 there were 49,000 vocational awards for construction and 11,000 for plumbing while the number of first-year construction trainees increased for the fifth year running in 2002/03.
The NHS Plan acknowledged that shortages in human resources were the biggest constraint facing the NHS and set ambitious targets for increasing the NHS workforce. By March 2004 there will be 7,500 more consultants, 2,000 more GPs, 20,000 more nurses and 6,500 more therapists and other health professionals employed in the NHS than in 1999.
Furthermore, "Delivering the NHS Plan" included expected increases in the NHS work force. Between 2001 and 2008, we expect there to be increases of 35,000 nurses and midwives, 15,000 consultants and GPs and 30,000 therapists and scientists.
The Secretary of State for Education and Skills is responsible for ensuring an adequate supply of school teachers. Since 1997 there has been an increase of nearly 25,000 regular teachers in maintained schools in England. Recent improvements in recruitment to initial teacher training and innovative ways of remodelling the work force—with support staff helping teachers to use their professional skills to greatest effect—mean that supply is expected to continue to be sufficient. Alongside rising teacher numbers, there is also evidence of improving teacher quality.
The DfES liaises regularly with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to ensure that the supply of teaching and learning is not adversely affected by labour shortage.
In addition, the DfES has responsibility—following the publication of the Green Paper, "Every Child Matters"—for children's services more broadly, including social care, and is currently developing its evidence base on the wider children's work force.
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Adult Learning
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been made available for adult learning in further education colleges for each year since 1997. [154234]
Alan Johnson: The information requested is set out in the following table:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 1,296 |
| 1998–99 | 1,321 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,346 |
| 2000–01 | 1,485 |
| 2001–02 | 1,608 |
| 2002–03 | 1,733 |
These figures represent allocations made to further education colleges funded by the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) until 2000–01, and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) from 2001–02.
Business Skills Education
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what his Department's policy is on teaching business and entrepreneurial skills to primary school children; and if he will make a statement; [155587]
- (2) what funding his Department is giving to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Staffordshire and (ii) Stoke-on-Trent to improve the business skills of school pupils; and if he will make a statement; [155588]
(3) what his Department's funding for business and entrepreneurial skills has been for each of the last 10 years in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement; [155589]
(4) what his Department's budget is in 2003–04 for the funding of business skills education in primary education; and if he will make a statement; [155590]
(5) what his Department's future programmes are for improving business and entrepreneurial skills in (a) primary school children and (b) secondary school children; and if he will make a statement. [155592]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Business and enterprise are covered within the Citizenship curriculum, which is compulsory in secondary schools. For example, 14 to 16-year-old pupils are taught about how the economy functions, including the role of business and financial services.
The non-statutory framework for Personal, Social and Health Education, provides for personal finance education to be taught in both primary and secondary schools, allowing teachers to cover the wide range of topics as set out in the Department's "Financial Capability through Personal Financial Education" guidance for schools. This helps to provide children with the skills they need to move into adulthood, confident in
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their ability to deal effectively with a range of financial decisions. We do not disaggregate the funding schools spend on different elements of curriculum subjects.
From 2005/06 a new £60 million Enterprise Education entitlement will provide all Key Stage 4 pupils with the equivalent of five days enterprise activity which will develop enterprise capability—including personal financial capability as well as business understanding. 151 Pathfinder projects began in nearly 400 secondary schools in September 2003. They will help DfES to develop additional guidance including case studies and lesson plans. Fair Oak High School, Walton High School in Staffordshire and Blurton High School in Stoke-on-Trent, are Enterprise Pathfinder schools, receiving some £34,000 between them in the financial year 2003–04.
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