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Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for   Northern Ireland how many rheumatoid arthritis sufferers (a) have commenced treatment since 1 January 2004 with, (b) are prescribed and (c) remain on the waiting list for (i) Embrel and (ii) Remicade. [171756]

 
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Angela Smith: Information is not available in the form requested. However, data collected by Health and Social Services Trusts suggest that there are around 230 people who have received or are currently receiving biologic therapies using Embrel and Remicade, and around 450 people on the waiting lists for such treatment.

Statins

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the availability of statins in the NHS. [173609]

Angela Smith: A range of medicines classified as 'statins' are available to patients on health service prescription, and will remain so.

In addition, it was announced on 12 May 2004 that Ministers had accepted the advice of the expert Committee on Safety of Medicines, that one particular brand of simvastatin in a 10 mg dose, Zocor Heart-Pro, should become available to people with a specific risk of heart disease, without prescription and supplied under pharmacist supervision. This will happen here from July 2004.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Careers Guidance

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many practising qualified teachers (a) were qualified careers advisers and (b) provided careers guidance in schools in each year since 1997. [172627]

Mr. Miliband: Information on the numbers of qualified teachers who are also qualified careers advisers is only available in respect of those who teach careers as a specific subject. This information was published in table 24 of the School Workforce in England Volume 2003 edition and is available from the House of Commons Library or downloaded from the following internet link: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/OL/v000443/index.shtml.

This information is not collected on an annual basis.

Careers advice in schools may also take place within other contexts such as during the provision of Personal Social and Health Education. Information is not available in respect of this provision.

Child Care Regulation

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent changes he has made to the regulation of child care; and if he will make a statement. [172854]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 13 May 2004]: We have made two sets of significant changes to the regulation of child care since the national standards for under 8s day care and childminding came into force in the summer of 2001. First, in April 2003, we introduced regulations enabling the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), the national registration authority for child care in England, to suspend a provider's
 
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registration in certain circumstances, for example, where there were concerns about their suitability to look after children. Second, the national standards and associated regulations were revised in September 2003, following a public consultation. Amongst the changes were new rules allowing childminders to care for more babies and preventing them from smacking or smoking in front of the children in their care. At this time we also extended the registration requirements to child care provided by schools, which had previously been exempt.

Further changes to improve the regulation of child care are under consultation at present and are planned for introduction in September 2004.

Connexions

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many one-stop-shops are operated by the Connexions Service in England. [170022]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 30 April 2004]: A survey in December 2003 showed there were nearly 300 one-stop shops already open, operated by Connexions Partnerships. This number is set to increase with a further 100 one-stop-shops planned to open in the next 18 months.

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's preferred model of delivery is for Connexions partnerships. [172661]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 12 May 2004]: There is no preferred model, and it is for each Connexions Partnership to decide on a structure which they believe will be the most efficient in delivering the Connexions service in their sub-region.

Early Years Education

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the appropriate training of workers engaged in multi-agency work with early years children. [172343]

Margaret Hodge: The Sure Start Unit has allocated £129.9 million to local authorities for the training and development of early years and child care workers for 2004–06 to meet the requirements of the national standards for under 8s day care and childminding. This will include training and development of those working in multi-agency settings such as Children's Centres.

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new recruits he estimates will be needed over the next three years in the nursery and child care sector to ensure the workforce is at full strength. [171370]

Margaret Hodge: Allowing for the expected growth of child care places and continuing staff turnover, we estimate that up to around 180,000 new recruits may be needed in the early years, child care and play work sector over the three-year period April 2003 to March 2006.

This is a broad estimate, which depends on a range of assumptions, and we will continue to keep it under review in the light of further information about child care growth and staff turnover levels.
 
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Education Act Powers

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times he has used the power under section 71 of the Education Act 2002 to direct a local education authority to exercise its powers to secure provision for an additional number of pupils. [173783]

Mr. Miliband: It has not yet been necessary to exercise this power under section 71 of the Education Act 2002. It was introduced as a complement to the powers of Section 70 of the Act, which require competitions for additional secondary schools. Effectively, it extends the powers of Schedule 7 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to allow LEAs to respond to a direction to provide for an additional number of pupils by either holding a competition for a new school, or using their other powers for the reorganisation of schools.

LEAs are responsible for the provision of sufficient school places in their area, and these powers were always intended as reserve powers in exceptional circumstances.

Education Funding

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) 3 and (ii) 4-year-olds in Oldham, West and Royton in each of the last seven years. [170912]

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 Oldham local education authority area are shown in the table.

The latest figures on provision for 3 and 4-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin 'Provision for children under 5 years of age in England—January 2003' which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

From April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all 3-year-olds in England whose parents want one, are eligible for a free, part-time early education place.
Number of free nursery education places 1,2 taken up by 3 and 4-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers—Oldham 1997–2003

Position in January each year	3-year-olds	4-year-olds
1997	1,500	3,100
1998	1,500	3,100
1999	1,600	3,000
2000	2,300	3,100
2001	2,500	3,100
2002	2,500	3,100
2003	2,600	3,000

⁽²⁾ Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-old children.
⁽³⁾ A free nursery education place comprises five 2½ hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.



 
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