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18 Mar 2004 : Column 458W—continued
Asbestos
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the buildings occupied by his departmental and agency staff which require (a) remedial work on and (b) removal of asbestos; what this work will cost; what budgets are available for this work for (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; and what budget is available for future asbestos surveys. [159650]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Within the buildings on the Department's four sites there are only two buildings that currently contain the material, one in London and one in Darlington. The necessary control measures are now in place, which include a programme of regular monitoring and review. Costs for this work are not available and there is no set budget in place for future work associated with asbestos management.
Capital Modernisation Fund
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Capital Modernisation Fund computer-learning centres have been established in Buckinghamshire. [161571]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are 49 UK online centres in Buckinghamshire.
Twelve of these have received support from the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF).
Child Care
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free child care places provided by the Government have (a) been taken up and (b) not been taken up by parents of children below compulsory school age in each year since 1998. [161015]
Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds are shown in the table.
The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2003" which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
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By April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the take-up of nursery places was, broken down by (a) public and (b) private child care provision for children under compulsory school age in each year since 1998. [161020]
Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds in England are shown in the tables.
The latest figures on provision for 3 and 4-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin 'Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2003' which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
We have made the commitment that by April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all 3-year-olds in England whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.
| 3-year-olds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position in January each year | Maintained nursery and primary schools(20) | Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(21) | 4-year-olds(22) | Total |
| 1998 | 222,000 | 0 | 591,500 | 813,500 |
| 1999 | 225,700 | 0 | 593,800 | 819,500 |
| 2000 | 229,900 | 40,300 | 598,500 | 868,600 |
| 2001 | 226,600 | 108,800 | 589,300 | 924,700 |
| 3-year-olds | 4-year-olds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintained nursery and primary schools(20) | Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(21) | Maintained nursery and primary schools(20) | Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(21) | Total4-year-olds | Total | |
| 2002 | 223,500 | 184,700 | 477,700 | 106,800 | 584,500 | 992,800 |
| 2003 | 218,700 | 226,100 | 472,200 | 107,100 | 579,300 | 1,024,000 |
(20) Headcount of children aged three at 31st December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
(21) Part-time equivalent number of children aged 3 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. Nursery Education Grant for 3-year-olds was allocated to the 65 local education authorities in 1999–2000 and all LEAs from 2000–01.
(22) Part-time equivalent number of children aged 4 at 31December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education grant data collection exercise.
(23) Headcount of children aged 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
(24) Part-time equivalent number of children aged 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the EarlyYears supplementary data collection exercise.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will make a statement on the number of children in Crosby who have gained from the National Childcare Strategy; [160402]
- (2) how many child care places have been created in Crosby since 1997. [160524]
Margaret Hodge: Information on the number of new child care places created in individual constituencies is available only from 1999. Sefton local authority reported that between April 1999 and December 2003, 565 new child care places opened in Crosby constituency. A place typically helps more than one child, as not all children take up places full-time, and we estimate these places will help some 1,000 children. During the same period, Sefton reported that 217 child care places closed in Crosby, so that the stock of child care places rose by 348 helping some 700 children.
Child Employment Report
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the Government will
18 Mar 2004 : Column 461W
respond to the Better Regulation Task Force report, "The Regulation of Child Employment"; and if he will place a copy of the response in the Library. [160767]
Margaret Hodge: The Better Regulation Task Force report, "The Regulation of Child Employment", was published on 11 February and we are considering the recommendations carefully. We will respond to the report within 60 working days and a copy of our response will be placed in the Library.
Computers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in Buckingham have received a computer to assist in seeking employment or retraining. [161565]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: At present no centrally funded schemes exist which enable people to acquire free or low price recycled computers. In the past such schemes have been trialled but have proved costly to administer to ensure fair distribution of equipment.
Government funding has been focused instead upon establishing the network of UK online centres. People in Buckingham who do not have ICT access and wish to use computers are advised to visit their local UK online centre.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in Buckingham in each of the last seven years. [161573]
Mr. Charles Clarke: My department does not collect information on school spend on computers. However, I refer the hon. Gentleman to my response to his question about funding allocated to schools in Buckinghamshire for information and communications technology (161583).
Connexions
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) young people of the relevant age group and (b) personal advisers there are in the area of each Connexions partnership; and what the ratio of (a) to (b) is in each case. [161093]
Margaret Hodge: The following table shows (a) the number of young people aged (13 to 19) in each of the Connexions partnership areas, (b) the number of Connexions personal advisers funded through the departmental grant and (c) the ratio of (a) to (b) in each partnership.
Notes:
1. Data on personal advisers relates to the number of full time equivalents in post at December 2003—the latest period for which information is available and is taken from NEXUS, the management information system used to monitor the performance of the service.
2. Personal Adviser numbers exclude those funded by other agencies of which there were 917 in post in the same period and a further 3,252 other delivery staff not defined as PAs whose main role is client/customer contact.
18 Mar 2004 : Column 462W
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds have not been in education, training or employment in each of the Connexions partnership areas in each year since 2001. [161095]
Margaret Hodge: The percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds who have not been in education, employment or training in each Connexions partnership area in each year since 2001 is shown in the following table.
A separate exercise estimated that the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training had fallen by 3 per cent. in England between November 2002 and November 2003.
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| 2001(25) | 2002 | 2003 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Luton | — | 10.7 | 6.6 |
| Berkshire | — | — | 5.8 |
| Birmingham and Solihull | — | 12.1 | 9.4 |
| Black Country | 14.4 | 13.0 | 8.2 |
| Bournemouth Dorset and Poole | — | 6.8 | 5.5 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | — | 9.7 | 6.0 |
| Central London | — | 14.8 | 11.5 |
| Cheshire and Warrington | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.1 |
| Cornwall and Devon | 7.4 | 7.0 | 6.1 |
| Co. Durham | — | 17.0 | 11.6 |
| Coventry and Warwickshire | 10.3 | 9.5 | 4.8 |
| Cumbria | 9.2 | 7.6 | 6.6 |
| Derbyshire | — | 10.3 | 8.4 |
| East London | — | 11.6 | 11.1 |
| Essex Southend and Thurrock | — | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Gloucestershire | — | 4.1 | 3.9 |
| Greater Manchester | — | 10.0 | 9.3 |
| Greater Merseyside | 12.8 | 12.1 | 10.7 |
| Hereford and Worcestershire | — | 6.9 | 5.4 |
| Hertfordshire | — | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| Humber | 8.4 | 10.0 | 9.2 |
| Kent | — | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| Lancashire | — | 9.6 | 7.2 |
| Leicestershire | — | 9.2 | 6.5 |
| Lincolnshire and Rutland | 5.0 | 6.1 | 4.7 |
| Milton Keynes Oxford and Bucks. | 3.6 | 5.4 | 4.4 |
| Norfolk | — | — | 6.6 |
| North London | 8.8 | 9.6 | 8.7 |
| Northamptonshire | — | 6.3 | 8.3 |
| Northumberland | — | — | 7.0 |
| Nottinghamshire | — | 6.8 | 3.8 |
| Shropshire Telford and the Wrekin | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Somerset | — | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| South Central | — | 4.9 | 4.8 |
| South London | 9.3 | 7.7 | 5.5 |
| South Yorkshire | 10.9 | 11.4 | 9.6 |
| Staffordshire | — | 10.5 | 6.3 |
| Suffolk | 7.8 | 8.2 | 7.0 |
| Surrey | — | 2.8 | 3.7 |
| Sussex | — | 5.8 | 4.8 |
| Tees Valley | — | 12.7 | 9.0 |
| Tyne and Wear | — | 16.3 | 10.7 |
| West London | — | 10.2 | 6.9 |
| West of England | 5.1 | 7.3 | 6.5 |
| West Yorkshire | — | 10.2 | 8.9 |
| Wiltshire and Swindon | — | 5.8 | 4.4 |
| York and North Yorkshire | — | 5.8 | 4.7 |
(25) Data relate to all 16 to 19-year-olds. Data for 16 to 18-year-olds are not available.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds from black and ethnic minorities have not been in education, training or employment in each of the Connexions partnership areas in each year since 2001. [161097]
Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the percentage of 16 to 19-year-olds from black and ethnic minorities at the end of 2003 who were not in employment, education or training.
The percentages are taken from data supplied by Connexions Partnerships. Information on the ethnic origin of young people who have completed compulsory education is only available from April 2003. The data is for 16 to 19-year-olds; data for 16 to 18-year-olds only is not collected.
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| Connexions partnership | Percentage of 16 to 19-year-olds from BME groups not in education, employment or training |
|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Luton | 6.6 |
| Berkshire | 6.9 |
| Birmingham and Solihull | 8.4 |
| Black Country | 5.7 |
| Bournemouth Dorset and Poole | 5.8 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 6.7 |
| Central London | 10.9 |
| Cheshire and Warrington | 6.5 |
| Cornwall and Devon | 6.8 |
| County Durham | 10.3 |
| Coventry and Warwickshire | 4.5 |
| Cumbria | 6.0 |
| Derbyshire | 9.1 |
| East London | 10.5 |
| Essex Southend and Thurrock | 5.2 |
| Gloucestershire | 6.3 |
| Greater Manchester | 7.4 |
| Greater Merseyside | 10.1 |
| Hereford and Worcestershire | 5.5 |
| Hertfordshire | 4.8 |
| Humber | 9.8 |
| Kent | 6.3 |
| Lancashire | 6.1 |
| Leicestershire | 4.1 |
| Lincolnshire and Rutland | 6.0 |
| Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire | 5.4 |
| Norfolk | 4.6 |
| North London | 7.9 |
| Northamptonshire | 9.3 |
| Northumberland | 0.0 |
| Nottinghamshire | 2.7 |
| Shropshire Telford and Wrekin | 6.5 |
| Somerset | 3.1 |
| South Central | 3.6 |
| South London | 4.9 |
| South Yorkshire | 12.0 |
| Staffordshire | 6.5 |
| Suffolk | 6.8 |
| Surrey | 2.4 |
| Sussex | 3.7 |
| Tees Valley | 8.2 |
| Tyne and Wear | 9.6 |
| West London | 4.9 |
| West of England | 10.5 |
| West Yorkshire | 9.5 |
| Wiltshire and Swindon | 4.2 |
| York and North Yorkshire | 0.8 |
Note:
Data for Northumberland and Yorks and North Yorkshire reflects the low numbers of Black and ethnic minorities reported in all categories of activity.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of Connexions services for young people are contracted out to external providers; and if he will make a statement. [161694]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 16 March 2004]: Connexions Partnerships are private companies with obligations to their individual boards. As such we do not collect the information requested centrally. The proportion of sub-contracted services are not separately identified in Partnerships' accounts. All costs are apportioned across three main expenditure headings—staff, premises and administration. Private sector companies have had a leading role from the start of developing Connexions and much use has been made of their experience and expertise.
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Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors he takes into account when determining the level of grant allocated to each Connexions partnership. [161916]
Margaret Hodge: The amount of grant allocated to each Connexions Partnership is calculated using a funding formula. The formula allocates 40 per cent. of the budget based on the number of 13 to 19-year-olds in the Partnership area and 60 per cent. based on the additional needs of those young people, as indicated by four proxies. The proxies are the number of young people achieving less than 5 GCSEs at grade A*-C, the number of 16 to 17-year-olds not in education and training, the number of 18 to 24-year-olds who have been unemployed for at least six months and the number of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming Income Support. The formula also incorporates area cost weightings and allocates a fixed amount to each Partnership to cover common costs.
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