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2 Mar 2004 : Column 894W—continued
Consultants
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the consultants being used in the current financial year to assist in the implementation of his schools strategy. [157289]
Mr. Miliband: This information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the consultants used by his Department in 2002–03 where the expenditure exceeded £1,000,000. [157290]
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Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 27 February 2004]: This information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Criminal Records Bureau
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what procedures are in place for carrying out Criminal Records Bureau checks on (a) overseas teachers and (b) other overseas workers coming to work in schools in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [153725]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 9 February 2004]: My Department's guidance to employers in the education service about pre-appointment checks on teachers and other workers in schools advises that, if a person who they intend to appoint to work in a school has never lived in the UK, no purpose will be served by asking them to apply for a disclosure when they come to this country.
The Criminal Records Bureau is not able to obtain details of a person's criminal record from overseas. A limited number of overseas convictions are recorded on the Police national computer, but the data is not comprehensive.
The Bureau's Overseas Information Service provides advice to employers on the availability of criminal record information from overseas. The service currently covers 17 countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Irish Republic, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Italy (excluding Vatican City) and Finland). The CRB is in discussions with the 10 accession countries to the European Union and aims to provide information through the Overseas Information Service about the criminal record information available from these countries within the next few months.
Where criminal record information is not available, we recommend that employers take extra care in taking up references and carrying out other checks on a person's background.
Drugs Education
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what letters of concern his Department has received from the Home Office on the issue of personal advisers on drugs education; [156026]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the provision of drugs education in schools in 2004 following the abolition of the standards fund; [156027]
(3) what meetings on drugs education Ministers in his Department have held with ministerial colleagues from the Department of Health and the Home Department since September 2003; [156028]
(4) how many personal advisers working on drugs education in secondary and primary schools are to be made redundant owing to the removal of the standards fund; and what plans there are to replace their specialist input; [156029]
(5) how many personal advisers work in the classroom on drugs education; and what the figures were in 2002. [156030]
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Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 25 February 2004]: In line with Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice, confidential communications between Departments is not made public. It is not normal practice of Governments to release details of specific meetings or their content as some of these discussions may have taken place on a confidential basis.
The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) will continue to be responsible for evaluating and reporting on the school's polices and practice in drug education within personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship provision as part of the school inspection process. In addition, Ofsted surveys the quantity and quality of drug education in schools on behalf of the Department. The next data collection exercise will take place during the Summer Term 2004 and report in the Autumn.
The Department does not collect data on the number of School Drug Adviser redundancies or how many school Drug Advisers work in the classroom on drug education. Their principal role is to support schools in planning and implementing effective policy and practice on drug issues rather than direct classroom delivery.
From April 2004, our main focus will be on supporting teachers' professional development. The PSHE certification programme, which sets standards for the teaching of PSHE and certificates those who meet the standards, will be rolled-out to 3,000 teachers.
Young people will continue to receive advice and support on drug issues from schools, the Connexions Service and a range of local agencies.
Early Years Education
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with local authorities on meeting the statutory requirement to provide free early education for each three and four-year-old by April and the role of private day nursery providers in this; and if he will make a statement. [155823]
Margaret Hodge: Funding has been made available for expanding three year old provision since 1999, building to universal provision by April 2004. During this period local authorities have been encouraged, through published guidance, to grow provision taking into account local demand and social need and using a mixture of maintained, independent, voluntary and private providers to support parental choice.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his policy to phase out private providers for the nursery education grant scheme; and if he will make a statement.[R] [155826]
Margaret Hodge: This Government greatly values the contribution made by the thousands of private, voluntary and independent sector providers and is determined that they should continue to play a full part in the provision of early years education and child care.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he will take to ensure the continuity of provision of private sector nursery education for 3 and 4-year-olds, under the nursery education grant scheme in relatively isolated
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communities which currently have a single private provider, where that provider withdraws as a result of the withdrawal of the ring-fencing of funds to local authorities.[R] [155828]
Margaret Hodge: From 1 April 2004 local authorities will be under a statutory duty to provide sufficient nursery education for all three and 4-year-olds in their area. Local authorities have been encouraged through published guidance, to grow provision using a mixture of Maintained, Independent, Voluntary and Private providers to support parental choice and take into account the needs of children and families.
Education Funding
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was spent on school buildings in the Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency in each year since 1997, broken down by school. [157503]
Mr. Miliband: The majority of capital support is allocated to schools and local education authorities (LEAs) by formula, and they decide how to invest it in line with the priorities of their asset management plans. The Department does not, therefore, have complete information about capital investment in individual schools. This information should be held locally. However, the following table shows the total capital support made available by this Government for school buildings in Blackpool LEA since 1998–99 when Blackpool became a unitary authority.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 2.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 4.0 |
| 2000–01 | 6.9 |
| 2001–02 | 8.3 |
| 2002–03 | 6.6 |
| 2003–04 | 17.0 |
We have to date also allocated indicative funding for future years worth approximately £14.4 million in 2004–05, and £5.8 million in 2005–06.
Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what capital funding has been received by Rochdale Council Education Department since 1996; which schools benefited from additional capital investment in each year; how much funding each school received; and how the funding has been spent. [157504]
Mr. Miliband: The majority of capital support is allocated to schools and local education authorities (LEAs) by formula, and they decide how to invest it in line with the priorities of their asset management plans. The Department does not, therefore, have completeinformation about capital investment in individual schools. This information should be held locally. However, the following table shows the total capital support made available by this Government for school buildings in Rochdale LEA since 1996–97.
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| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 1.0 |
| 1997–98 | 2.9 |
| 1998–99 | 4.7 |
| 1999–2000 | 2.8 |
| 2000–01 | 6.1 |
| 2001–02 | 7.1 |
| 2002–03 | 7.9 |
| 2003–04 | 12.0 |
We have to date also allocated indicative funding for future years worth approximately £69 million in 2004–05 including £56 million of PFI credits, and £4.4 million in 2005–06.
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