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1 Apr 2004 : Column 1546W—continued
Bullying
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidences of bullying in schools were recorded in Devon in the last seven years. [164799]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Data on bullying is not collected centrally and there is no reliable basis for an estimate of prevalence. However, any level of bullying is too high and we are determined to help schools to tackle the problem. Our guidance pack 'Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence' and the anti-bullying website www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying offer detailed advice on preventing and addressing bullying. We have also recently launched our anti-bullying Charter which I hope schools will sign and use. It is accompanied by a summary of effective practice to help schools review and enhance their anti-bullying policies. We are also currently running a series of England-wide regional anti-bullying conferences for schools and other partners to share good practice.
Children's Homes
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) private and (b) public sector children's homes there are in each local authority area. [159415]
Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not available as it is not collected by Local Authority area. The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) collects information on an Area and Regional basis. Details of numbers of children's homes at 27 February 2004, by type of provider and NCSC Region are set out in the following table:
| NCSC Region | Independent | Local Authority | Voluntary | NHS | Providers Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | |||||
| North East | 32 | 70 | 2 | 2 | 106 |
| East Midlands | 64 | 46 | 6 | 0 | 116 |
| South West | 160 | 49 | 19 | 1 | 229 |
| West Midlands | 160 | 46 | 11 | 0 | 217 |
| North West | 223 | 119 | 34 | 0 | 376 |
| London | 121 | 50 | 23 | 2 | 196 |
| South East | 153 | 46 | 16 | 1 | 216 |
| Eastern | 64 | 33 | 8 | 0 | 105 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 50 | 95 | 8 | 0 | 153 |
| Total | 1,027 | 554 | 127 | 6 | 1,714 |
Source:
NCSC
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many privately run children's homes are registered. [159416]
Margaret Hodge: 1,027 private children's homes were registered with the National Care Standards Commission at 27 February 2004.
Citizenship Curriculum
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to increase time spent on learning about court processes in secondary schools. [164196]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Understanding the role and operation of the criminal and civil justice system in our
1 Apr 2004 : Column 1547W
democracy is an important part of citizenship education, which became part of the curriculum for 11 to 16-year-olds in September 2002. Pupils learn about the work of the courts, parliament and the government in making and shaping the law. It is up to schools to arrange the allocation of time for subjects and specific elements within them. The QCA has sent detailed guidance on citizenship to all schools, which includes specific units on how to plan and cover the justice system.
Computer Misuse
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. [163276]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Department for Education and Skills allows personal use of the internet and email outside normal hours. Staff are warned that internet accesses may be monitored and misuse may lead to disciplinary action. Staff are reminded of the policy each time they log on to the Department's network and must accept the policy before log in can be completed.
The numbers of cases of computer misuse within the Department for Education and Skills is as follows:
| Number of cases | Type of misuse | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| 2003 | 2 | Serious inappropriateinternet use | Disciplinary |
Access to the internet for DfES staff was introduced in November 1997 and was approved only to those who had a business need. Usage was low and no instances of misuse occurred.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) renovation and (b) maintenance projects on buildings (i) owned and (ii) rented by his Department were undertaken in each of the last five years; and what the associated costs were of each. [163949]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: My Department's renovation costs include projects where the primary aim is refurbishment and upgrading, while maintenance costs include projects where the primary aim is repair and/or replacement of existing equipment/installations.
The project cost of the (a) renovation and (b) maintenance work carried out in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Financial | Leasehold | Freehold | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year | Renovation | Maintenance | Renovation | Maintenance |
| 2003–04 | 3,231,704 | 478,398 | 1,564,000 | 433,085 |
| 2002–03 | 2,811,781 | 1,283,864 | 1,982,775 | 380,070 |
| 2001–02 | 2,445,073 | 1,432,309 | 1,967,745 | 479,095 |
| 2000–01 | 2,993,645 | 800,959 | 2,164,164 | 1,244,123 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,099,315 | 883,208 | 1,633,944 | 1,200,535 |
| Total | 14,581,518 | 4,878,738 | 9,312,628 | 3,736,908 |
1 Apr 2004 : Column 1548W
Devon LEA
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils achieved at least (a) one and (b) five GCSE grades A* to C in Devon Local Education Authority in each of the last seven years. [164795]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested is in the following table:
| Academic year | Achieved at least one A*-C | Achieved at least5 A*-C |
|---|---|---|
| 1997(5) | 71.4 | 44.0 |
| 1998 | 75.6 | 47.0 |
| 1999 | 75.1 | 48.4 |
| 2000 | 76.3 | 49.1 |
| 2001 | 77.0 | 51.3 |
| 2002 | 74.8 | 50.4 |
| 2003 | 76.2 | 52.6 |
(4) Pupils are aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August.
(5) Results for 1997 are not directly comparable to 1998–2003 results, due to the re-organisation of Devon LEA that took place in 1998.
Education (North Tyneside)
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of capital investment in schools in North Tyneside was in each of the last seven years. [164361]
Mr. Miliband: The following table shows capital funding allocated to North Tyneside local education authority (LEA) and its schools since 1997. The majority of capital funding is now allocated by formulae, linked to Asset Management Plans. All schools have, since 2000–01, received Devolved Formula capital to use on their most urgent capital needs.
| Allocations (£000) | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 2,521 |
| 1998–99 | 2,448 |
| 1999–2000 | 10,255 |
| 2000–01 | 19,766 |
| 2001–02 | 22,449 |
| 2002–03 | (6)45,512 |
| 2003–04 | 11,528 |
(6) This includes £33.5 million PFI credits.
Note:
The calculation includes the Voluntary Aided sector. Funding from 2000- 01 to 2002 03 included high levels of Basic Need and also additional exceptional funding.
Employment Agencies
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the employment agencies which his Department and its predecessors have used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available. [163813]
1 Apr 2004 : Column 1549W
Mr. Charles Clarke: The following table lists all the employment agencies used by the Department for Education and Employment and Department for Education and Skills from 1996–97 to date:
| Employment agency | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| 1997–98 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| 1998–99 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| 1999–2000 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| 2000–01 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| Manpower | |
| 2001–02 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| Manpower | |
| 2002–03 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| Manpower | |
| 2003–04 | Adecco |
| Brook Street | |
| Manpower |
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