| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
5 May 2004 : Column 1571W—continued
Autism
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to develop education facilities for children with (a) autism and (b) Asperger's syndrome. [168970]
Margaret Hodge: The Government are playing its part in raising awareness of autism and working in partnership with the voluntary sector and others to improve provision. Some children with autism benefit from mainstream provision, others from specialist provision. The SEN legislative framework and accompanying guidance helps schools and LEAs to support children with autism in the right setting. Children with autistic spectrum disorders, including those with Asperger's syndrome, are benefiting along with others from the considerable additional resources for education and the increase in spending on special educational needs.
My Department has issued, jointly with the Department of Health, guidance from the Autism Working Group to help providers plan and make good quality provision for children with autistic spectrum disorders. In February, we published "Removing Barriers to Achievement—the Government's Strategy for Special Educational Needs." (www.teachernet.gov.uk/senstrategy). The strategy sets out our long term vision for the education of children with special educational needs and a programme of action which incorporates a range of measures to support improvements in provision for these children and young people. These include an Inclusion Development Programme to support partnership projects involving education, health and social care, voluntary organisations, higher education institutions, special and mainstream schools, and early years settings to develop and pilot effective practice. Autistic spectrum disorders will be one of the key areas the programme will focus on initially. The strategy sets out a clear future role for special schools and recognises the part they play in making specialist provision for children with severe and complex needs, including many with autism and Asperger's syndrome.
CAFCASS
Mr. Oaten:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance
5 May 2004 : Column 1572W
he has given to CAFCASS on its response to the court of appeal ruling, Thorpe, Rix and Arden, 24 October 2002, on the failure of CAFCASS to meet its requirements under European Convention on Human Rights Articles 6 and 8. [167632]
Margaret Hodge: The decision to which the question refers, known as Re T (contact: alienation; permission to appeal) [2002] EWCA Civ 1736 and [2003] 1 FLR 531, did not in fact rule on "the failure of CAFCASS to meet its requirements under the European Convention on Human Rights Articles 6,8" as stated. The Court of Appeal (Lord Justice Thorpe) did, however, indicate that there were issues for the Government and judiciary to consider, including the services CAFCASS can be expected to provide "in order to assist the forensic process to satisfy Convention standards?"
No guidance has been issued from the Department of Constitutional Affairs or the Department for Education and Skills to CAFCASS on this matter.
Child Care (Wigan)
Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will make a statement on the number of children in Wigan who have benefited from the National Childcare Strategy; [169281]
(2) how many child care places have been created in Wigan since 1997. [169363]
Margaret Hodge: From April 1999 to December 2003 Wigan local authority created 5,072 new child care places helping some 9,169 children. This shows an increase in the stock of child care places, taking into account turnover, of 2,853 helping some 5,245 children.
Computer Learning Centres
Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Capital Modernisation Fund computer learning centres have been established in Wigan. [169290]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are 21 Capital Modernisation funded centres in Wigan.
Education Funding
Jim Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been
5 May 2004 : Column 1573W
allocated to schools in Heywood and Middleton for information and communications technology since 2001. [168512]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 27 April 2004]: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to his question on funding spent on computers for schools in Rochdale in each of the last seven years on 29 April 2004, Official Report, column 1258W.
James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what public funding has been spent on adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last five years. [168761]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The estimated total spend on Skills For Life (the Government's strategy for literacy, language and numeracy needs of all post-16 learners from pre-entry level up to and including level 2) and on Key Skills (essential skills of communication, application of number and information technology), from April 2001 to July 2003, in the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area is set out in the table:
| Basic skills | Key skills | |
|---|---|---|
| April to July 2001(36) | 8,925 | 2,598 |
| August 2001 to July 2002 | 15,369 | 3,586 |
| August 2002 to July 2003 | 27,258 | 4,210 |
(36) The figures for April to July 2001 include costs incurred from August 2000 on learning aims continuing into April 2001.
From the information available to the LSC it has not been feasible to obtain estimates at constituency level or separate figures by subject without incurring disproportionate cost. Likewise it has not been feasible to obtain comparable figures for periods before April
5 May 2004 : Column 1574W
2001 when the Skills for Life strategy was launched and the LSC was formed, but information shows it was considerably less than at present.
Education Expenditure
Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated for (a) marketing, (b) consultants, (c) advertising, (d) administration and (e) buildings for (i) the University for Industry, (ii) the learning and skills councils and (iii) the Connexions service, broken down by (A) centrally and (B) locally-allocated funds, in each year since 1997. [167575]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information is as follows:
Ufi, launched in 2000, receives an annual grant from my Department which funds their infrastructure and operating costs such as product development. My Department does not specify the exact amount of money which should be allocated by Ufi on individual items. Figures have however, been provided in Table (a) following which show the funds expended by Ufi for marketing, consultants, advertising, administration and buildings provided on a central basis in each of the financial years since 1999. Much of the marketing developed centrally is also used locally by Ufi/learndirect centres and hubs. Marketing and advertising at local level does however remain the responsibility of Ufi/learndirect hubs and centres, many of which are private organisations who set their budgets accordingly. No central information is held on this local expenditure. Also, Ufi uses consultants to support the development of the national Ufi/learndirect network and does not allocate consultancy budgets at local level.
| Funding allocated—centrally (£000) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial year | ||||||
| 1990–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | |
| 17 months1 | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months | |
| Actual | Actual | Actual | Actual | Actual | Budget | |
| (a) Marketing(38) | 1,969 | 8,224 | 9,767 | 10,126 | 10,156 | 8,721 |
| (b) Consultants | 560 | 741 | 1,117 | 1,637 | 2,927 | 389 |
| (c) Advertising(38) | 2,990 | 12,474 | 12,727 | 8,652 | 11,112 | 9,542 |
| (d) Administration | 9,408 | 12,418 | 17,309 | 20,106 | 21,435 | 25,007 |
| (e) Buildings(39) | 841 | 1,104 | 1,120 | 1,263 | 1,473 | 1,631 |
(37) Ufi Limited's first statutory reporting period was 17 months to 31 March 2000. The figures used are consistent with information filed with Companies House.
(38) The figures provided for 2004–05 have not been finalised and the analysis is based on the 2003–04 ratio.
(39) Accommodation related costs such as rent, rates, facilities management.
(ii) Learning and Skills Council
This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.
(a) and (c) Marketing and Advertising
The following table shows the amounts allocated in each year since the launch of Connexions in April 2001 for centrally-managed marketing and advertising activity in support of the Connexions Service.
No funding is allocated specifically for spending on consultants either nationally or regionally. However, consultants are engaged where this is judged to be the most cost-effective method of achieving objectives.
Table (b) following shows the amounts allocated in each year since the launch of Connexions in April 2001
5 May 2004 : Column 1575W
for the salaries and associated administrative costs of staff managing Connexions and a range of associated initiatives. In addition, the table also shows those amounts allocated to regional Government Offices for the salary and associated administration costs of their staff managing Connexions.
5 May 2004 : Column 1576W
It is not possible to disaggregate the building costs associated with DfES Head Office staff working on Connexions from the costs of other Departmental staff using the same head office building, nor those costs associated with Government Office staff working on Connexions from those associated with other Government Office staff.
| Funding allocated—centrally (£000) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial year | ||||||
| 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | |
| (a) Marketing | — | — | 1,000 | 1,900 | 850 | (40)— |
| (b) Consultants | — | — | (41)n/a | (41)n/a | (41)n/a | (41)n/a |
| (c) Advertising | — | — | 4 | 1,678 | 2,861 | tbc |
| (d) Administration | ||||||
| Head Office(42) | — | — | 5,637 | 5,784 | 6,098 | tbc |
| Government Office | — | — | 2,500 | 2,750 | 2,625 | 2,500 |
| (e) buildings | — | — | (43)n/a | (43)n/a | (43)n/a | (43)n/a |
(40) No allocation.
(41) No element of funding is earmarked specifically for this purpose.
(42) Head Office (HO) administration figures cover the costs of all staff working on Connexions and a range of associated policies and programmes. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of staff working specifically in support of Connexions.
(43) It is not possible to disaggregate costs of HO/GO staff working on Connexions.
Local Connexions Partnerships have the flexibility to use their funding in a way which best meets local needs; no part of the funding that is allocated to them is ring-fenced for specific activities or purposes such as administration, buildings, marketing, advertising or consultants.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |