House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 20 May 2004 (pt 15)

20 May 2004 : Column 1155W—continued

Postgraduate Students

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average expenditure per postgraduate student was in (a) the UK, (b) the US and (c) the OECD in the last year for which figures are available. [174132]

Alan Johnson: International comparisons of expenditure on higher education cover all 'tertiary' education which includes both under and postgraduate study. The OECD's "Education at a Glance 2003" gives figures for the year 2000, the latest year for which comparable figures are available. It shows expenditure per higher education student per year in the UK was US $9,657, above the OECD average (US $9,571). Expenditure per student was highest in the USA (US

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$20,538). At current rates of exchange, equivalent figures in sterling are: UK £5,461, OCED £5,413 and USA £11,615.

Prison Education

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills why the Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit cancelled the re-tendering exercise for prison education contracts due to take place this year; what the cost of this exercise was; and when the unit will next be seeking bids for prison education contracts. [172424]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Ministers took the decision to cancel the re-tendering exercise on the basis that it was no longer the most appropriate method of delivering provision. This decision was based on a number of key changes in the offender learning and skills environment:

The creation of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the introduction of new sentencing arrangements which offer an important opportunity to refocus work in this field and to improve coherence of offender learning across the custodial system and into the community;

Central Government initiatives to free resources for front line delivery and to reallocate operational responsibilities between government and partners; and

The need to reap the skills and workforce benefits of closer partnerships between key agencies such as Jobcentre Plus and the Learning and Skills Council, and the desire to bring offender learning and skills into the mainstream of post-16 provision.

The Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit is now working with these partners towards a phased introduction of a new integrated service by developing prototypes in up to three regions or areas. These prototypes will inform the development of comprehensive proposals for a national delivery framework for offender learning and skills, so that from the summer of 2005 we can move towards a new delivery partnership led by the LSC.

In the meantime, officials are negotiating extensions to existing contracts from September 2004 as we develop the new service, with minimal changes to avoid disruption.

The total cost to my Department of the re-tendering and re-contracting project up until the change in policy was £346,000. The majority of this would have been spent anyway in conducting policy development and administration, but it also includes professional, legal and technical advice specific to the project. Money spent on the latter has not been wasted as there will still be improvements to the delivery of prisons education, just not via a tendering exercise. Indeed, the main output of this project was a detailed specification for the new future service delivery; this was a valuable investment, as with some tailoring, this will form the key input to our new approach.

Pupil Funding (Preston)

Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding was spent per pupil in Preston in each of the last seven years. [168134]

Mr. Miliband: The information requested is submitted to the Department according to local education authority areas rather than districts within an

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area. Preston is a district of Lancashire local education authority. The information for Lancashire LEA is as follows:
Net current expenditure per pupil

Pre-Primary Education Primary Education Pre-primary and Primary Secondary Education Special

1996–97 n/a n/a 1,800 2,590 15,990

1997–98 n/a n/a 1,820 2,630 17,320

1998–99 n/a n/a 2,000 2,700 17,770

1999–00 7,130 2,110 2,170 2,760 18,490

2000–01 11,030 2,330 2,440 2,910 18,770

2001–02 16,390 2,630 2,800 3,230 20,600

2002–03 — 2,900 — 3,400 —

Notes:
1. The financial data are taken from Lancashire LEA's Section 52 Outturn Statement submitted to the DfES from 1999–2000 onwards and the ODPM's RO1 statement previously. Figures up to and including1997–98 figures are for Lancashire LEA prior to local government reorganisation. From 1998–99 onwards parts of Lancashire LEA became Blackpool and Blackburn LEAs. Expenditure was not distinguished between pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of the Section52 outturn statement in 1999–2000. 1999–2000 figures reflect the return of GM schools to local authority maintenance.
2. The outturn 2002–03 tables captured the data in a fundamentally different way to the previous years. Categories were aligned with the Consistent Financial Reporting framework and the spending by LEAs was no longer split by school sector. Consequently the unit costs per pupil in 2002–03 are not strictly comparable with earlier years as they include an apportionment of LEA expenditure based on pupil numbers. 2002–03 data is subject to change by the LEA. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
3. Net current expenditure (NCE) includes expenditure within schools and also that incurred centrally by the LEA.
4. The NCE per pupil figures for pre-primary and primary relate the net current expenditure (after recharges) in the pre-primary sector and maintained primary schools to the total number of financial year pupils who are educated in the maintained nursery and primary schools sector.
5. The NCE per pupil figures for secondary relate the net current expenditure (after recharges) in maintained secondary schools to the total number of financial year pupils who are educated in the maintained secondary schools sector.
6. The NCE per pupil figures for special schools relate the net current expenditure (after recharges) in maintained special schools to the total number of financial year pupils who are educated in the maintained special schools sector.
7. Pupil data are drawn from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

	Pre-Primary Education	Primary Education	Pre-primary and Primary	Secondary Education	Special
1996–97	n/a	n/a	1,800	2,590	15,990
1997–98	n/a	n/a	1,820	2,630	17,320
1998–99	n/a	n/a	2,000	2,700	17,770
1999–00	7,130	2,110	2,170	2,760	18,490
2000–01	11,030	2,330	2,440	2,910	18,770
2001–02	16,390	2,630	2,800	3,230	20,600
2002–03	—	2,900	—	3,400	—

Regional Assemblies

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which functions and responsibilities would be transferred from his Department to elected regional assemblies where they are established. [172755]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The aim of elected assemblies is to ensure that regional functions are carried out effectively and better reflect the needs of the region. Assemblies will also play an important role in supporting delivery of the Department's skills agenda, specifically in three key areas: (i) the assembly will appoint two members to the Boards of each local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in its region, one of whom will have a business background, and will be consulted on other appointments; (ii) the national LSC will be under a statutory duty to consult assemblies on its guidance to the local LSC; and (iii) local LSCs will be obliged to have regard to the strategies of the ERA; and will be under a

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statutory duty to consult the assembly on their plans for the local area, in the same way that RDAs are consulted now (a statutory requirement under the Learning and Skills Act 2000).

Schools (South Ribble)

Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school children in South Ribble were taught in classes of more than 30 on the latest date for which figures are available. [171664]

Mr. Miliband: Tables giving the requested class size information for all parliamentary constituencies have been placed in the House of Commons Library. Final figures for 2003 and the latest provisional figures for 2004 have been provided. Further details on the 2004 provisional figures on class sizes by local education authority can be found on http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000457/index.shtml

Selective Admissions

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils there were in years seven to 11 in (a) grammar, (b) modern and (c) comprehensive schools in each local authority retaining a selective admissions system in each of the last four years. [172377]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 19 May 2004]: The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils in maintained (a) grammar and (b) non-selective schools in each local authority retaining a selective admissions system were (i) eligible for free school meals, (ii) statemented and (iii) from ethnic minorities in each of the last four years. [172378]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 19 May 2004]: The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

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