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9 Mar 2004 : Column 1381W

Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 9 March 2004

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

"Building Schools for the Future"

Mr. Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what brief the architects commissioned to produce designs for 21st century schools, as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme, were given with regard to sports and physical activity. [159864]

Mr. Miliband: The exemplar designs allowed for a variety of sites and school sizes for 4 to 11 primary schools, 11 to 18 secondary schools and 4 to 18 all-through school.

The design briefs for the exemplar designs included:




Sports halls and multi-use games area were required to conform to the minimum dimensions and specifications required by Sports England for community use. All this provision and its ancillary accommodation was to be located appropriately to be available to the community outside the school day.

Mr. Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consultations have been made with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding the Building Schools for the Future programme to ensure that schools have the capacity to increase sporting activity. [159865]

Mr. Miliband: There have been a number of positive discussions both at official and ministerial level, about how we can ensure synergy of our capital resources in order to maximise them and to deliver the national strategy to improve schools' PE and Sports facilities. Our aim is that following BSF investment all secondary schools will have sports facilities suitable for wider community use.

Mr. Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what share of the £5.1 billion capital investment for Building Schools for the Future is allocated for sports and physical activity resources. [159868]

Mr. Miliband: This Government gives great priority to the physical and recreational needs of our children as well as their academic needs.

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Central Government capital funding for school buildings in 2005–06 is over £5.1 billion, including over £2 billion allocated to the first wave of Building Schools for the Future (BSF). BSF aims to transform secondary schools so that they are fit for the teaching and learning needs of the 21st century, including for sports and physical activity. Decisions on investment will be made locally by the authorities which have been allocated funding as they develop their projects, in line with their priorities which will reflect local need and government policies. In time, all secondary schools in England will benefit from BSF.

The balance of capital funding, of about £3 billion in 2005–06, is mainly allocated to schools and authorities by formula, so that they can make investment decisions locally, in line with the priorities of their asset management plan.

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which schools which have benefited from the Building Schools for the Future programme open up their sports facilities to the wider community out-of-hours. [159871]

Mr. Miliband: The Building Schools for the Future programme aims to transform secondary provision over a 10–15 year period starting in 2005–06, subject to future spending decisions. Therefore no schools have yet benefited from the programme. Local authorities to be included in the first wave of projects were announced on 12 February. Over the coming months they will be developing their plans in association with their schools and other local partners. Our aim is that following BSF investment all secondary schools will have sports facilities suitable for wider community use.

Departmental Communications

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003–04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. [158157]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The DFES estimates that Strategy and Communications Directorate will, in 2003–04, expend around £4.9 million of its administrative budget on communications staff. £2 million of that will be on Government Information and Communication Service (GICs) staff. Press officers will make up approximately £0.7 million of the GICS cost. There are no press officer costs outside of this.

Additionally, policy directorates plan to spend £3.5 million on their communications staff in 2003–04. It would be of disproportionate cost to identify any further GICs costs within this.

The Special Advisers' Code of Conduct sets out the sort of work a special adviser may undertake on behalf of their Minister. This includes communications activity. Details of the costs of special advisers are given on an annual basis. Information for the financial year 2003–04 will be published in due course.

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Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. [158160]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The DFES Strategy and Communications Directorate (SCD) currently employ 159 staff on communication activities, 54 are members of the Government Information and Communication service (GICs), of whom 23 are press officers. There are no non-GICs press officers. In addition, policy directorates employ a further 121 'other' staff on communications activities.

There are two special advisers' to the Secretary of State. The Special Advisers' Code of Conduct sets out the sort of work a special adviser may undertake on behalf of their Minister. This includes communications activity. Details of the costs of special advisers are given on an annual basis. Information for the financial year 2003–04 will be published in due course.

Departmental Relocation

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in his Department work in (a) the West Midlands and (b) North Staffordshire. [146917]

Mr. Charles Clarke: There are 56 members of staff in my Department who work in the West Midlands. There are no members of my staff employed in North Staffordshire.

Recruitment Advertising

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of how much (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) universities spent on recruitment advertising in each year since 1997. [159846]

Mr. Miliband: My right hon. Friend has made no such estimates.

School Exclusions (Cannabis)

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent estimate he has made of whether the number of (a) permanent and (b) fixed term pupil exclusions related to possession or use of cannabis has been affected by the reclassification of cannabis. [159995]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: My Department started to collect data on the reasons for exclusions, including drug-related incidents, from summer term 2003. The first term's data are not yet available.

School Sports Facilities

Mr. Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department sets as (a) the ideal and (b) the minimum sports facilities for a secondary school. [159866]

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Mr. Miliband: Advice on the requirements for accommodation in secondary schools, including sports provision, will be available on the web from 1 April 2004 in Building Bulletin 98: Briefing Framework for Secondary School Projects. This will supersede the current Area Guidelines for Schools and enhance the current area recommendations.

The guidance sets out minimum recommended provision and also allows sufficient overall area to allow for further facilities, both indoor and outdoor, appropriate to the priorities of individual schools. Hence:

(a) the ideal provision will depend on the priorities of the school and its extended role in providing facilities for the wider community. For instance, while all schools would be able to offer community use outside school hours, sports colleges and other schools could provide facilities more appropriate to the regional demands of specific sports.

(b) the minimum provision recommended for new secondary schools, in line with current guidance, is a minimum indoor sports provision of a four-court sports hall, to Sport England minimum specifications and other large spaces (including the main hall and activity studios) that would be used for Physical Education and should be appropriate and sufficient to ensure that examinations and assemblies need not take place in the sports hall. Minimum recommended outdoor facilities include pitches for summer and winter games and a hard surfaced multi-use games area, again to Sport England minimum specifications.

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