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27 May 2004 : Column 1825W—continued

Asbestos

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1715W, on asbestos, what monitoring procedures are in place to ensure schools have identified and recorded the position of asbestos; and what information his Department collects centrally on the implementation of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations. [175930]

Mr. Miliband: Responsibility for monitoring asbestos under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 rests with the owners of school premises. In the case of community schools, community special schools, voluntary controlled schools, maintained nursery schools and pupil referral units, this is the local education authority. With voluntary aided and foundation schools, it is the governing body. Any monitoring procedures in place would be co-ordinated by the local education authority.

The Department does not collect information centrally on the implementation of these Regulations.

Building Schools for the Future Initiative

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's commitment, including private finance initiative credits, is for each successful wave one bid in the Building Schools for the Future initiative for each relevant fiscal year. [176257]

Mr. Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to response I have given him on 17 May 2004, Official Report, column 710W.

Bureaucracy

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) consultation documents, (b) regulations, (c) revised and corrected regulations, (d) guidance notes, (e) requests for statistical information and (f) letters from Ministers have been sent to (i) schools and (ii) local education authorities by his Department in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04; what the cost to the Department was in each case; and how many required a response from (A) a local education authority, (B) a school and (C) a member of staff. [175918]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 25 May 2004]: We strictly monitor and gate-keep the information that we automatically send to schools. However, we do not have the information segmented in the way requested.

The academic year 2002/03 saw a 50 per cent. reduction on the number of documents sent to all schools compared with the previous 2001/02 year. We will be reporting on the current academic year shortly.
 
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Going forward, we have successfully piloted an on-line ordering system that will enable schools to choose what information they want from the Department and when. This will put schools in control of what they receive.

Careers Advice

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that 13 to 19-year-olds in schools, colleges and in the workplace have access to impartial career advice and guidance which is informed by the changing labour markets. [175853]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Every 13 to 19-year-old in England has access to impartial careers advice from their local Connexions Partnership or, on-line, from Connexions Direct. Connexions Partnerships liaise with local employers and conduct labour market studies in order to help young people reach career decisions based on sound information about local and national labour market trends. Connexions also makes available national careers information products, which are developed in close collaboration with Sector Skills Councils to ensure they reflect employment trends and changing occupational requirements.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who has been invited to serve on the end to end review of careers education and guidance in England; and what the timetable is. [175851]

Margaret Hodge: The review team is made up of officials from the Department. The team has consulted a wide range of individuals and organisations. In total around 350 people will have been consulted by the end of May, including staff and students at several schools and colleges, young people taking part in a Connexions Direct user survey, a spread of Connexions Partnerships and representatives from the following organisations: Aim Higher; Association of Colleges; Association of Learning Providers; Careers England; CBI; CfBT; Construction Industry Training Board; Disability Rights Commission; Equal Opportunities Commission; e-skills UK; Go Skills; Government Offices; Guidance Council; Guidance Enterprises Group; HM Treasury; Institute of Careers Guidance; Learning and Skills Council; Local Government Association; National Association for Gifted and Talented Youth; National Association of Careers and Guidance Teachers; National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations; National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling; National Union of Teachers; Ofsted; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Secondary Heads Association; Sector Skills Development Agency; Selly Oak Hospital; Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities; skillsformedia; Universities for the North East; University of Northumbria I expect the review to conclude at the end of June.

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future of the private sector in providing careers guidance for young people. [172675]

Margaret Hodge: The Department values the contribution made by the private sector in providing careers guidance for young people. However, it is the responsibility of Connexions Partnerships to decide on the most appropriate way to deliver services for young
 
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people in their area. Connexions Partnerships are currently considering the most cost-effective means of delivering the service, and in some cases this may involve a change of structure. This does not necessarily mean that the position on sub-contracting to private providers changes. We have found an increasing number of areas are moving to a "lead body" model leaving private sector careers contracts in place.

Care Workers (Hygiene Training)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many care workers working in private sector care homes were trained in basic hygiene through Learning and Skills Council funding in the last year for which figures are available. [175990]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information cannot be supplied in the time available. I shall write to my hon. Friend with the answer, in due course and place a copy of my letter in the House Library.

Child Care (Hull)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places have been created in Hull, North since 1997. [174791]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 24 May 2004]: The Department is unable to provide details of child care places for Hull, North. However, from April 1999 to March 2004 Kingston upon Hull local authority created 5,221 new child care places helping some 9,267 children. This shows an increase in the stock of child care places, taking into account turnover, of 3,909 helping some 6,938 children.

Connexions

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the level and impact of reductions in the 2004–05 Connexions budget upon each of the Connexions partnerships; what criteria were used in forming the decision to make the reductions; and if he will make a statement. [175850]

Margaret Hodge: It is too soon to assess the precise consequences of the reduction in VAT transitional funding for Connexions Partnerships but early
 
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indications are that the impact on the delivery of services to young people will be minimal. The key criterion used in forming this decision was to minimise any adverse impact on the front line services to young people.

Departmental Efficiency

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is for (a) increasing the productivity and (b) cutting the costs of (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [172191]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 10 May 2004, Official Report, columns 148–49W.

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