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7 Jun 2004 : Column 113W—continued

Gender Pay Gap

Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the pay gap between men and women employed by his Department and its agencies in (a) Southampton, (b) Eastleigh, (c) Winchester and (d) Romsey. [171638]

Mr. Charles Clarke: My Department does not employ people in Southampton, Eastleigh, Winchester or Romsey.

Illiteracy

Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the functional illiteracy rate amongst (a) 11 to 18 year olds and (b) adults in (i) Manchester, Blackley, (ii) Manchester and (iii) England. [174622]

Mr. Miliband: 'Functional illiteracy' is usually thought to be equivalent to Entry Level literacy as defined in the National Standards for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, which in turn is equivalent to below a G grade at GCSE English language. For students aged between 11 and 18 the Department does not currently hold data on entry level qualifications. This information should be available from next year for pupils at the end of compulsory schooling.

The DfES Skills for Life survey published in October 2003 provides estimates of the proportion of people in England who are at various literacy and numeracy skill levels as defined by the National Standards for Adult Literacy and Numeracy.

The Skills for Life survey estimates that for the Manchester Learning and Skills Council area 18 per cent. of adults have Entry level literacy skills. For England this proportion is 16 per cent.

Unfortunately, data is not yet available at sub-LSC level. However the Department is in the process of developing a website which will give users access to estimates of literacy and numeracy skills at local levels. This website should be online at the end of 2004.

Intercountry Adoption

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many intercountry adoptions have taken place in each year since 1994. [172216]

 
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Margaret Hodge [holding answer 19 May 2004]: This information is not available centrally. The following table shows the number of intercountry adoption applications processed since 1994 by the Department of Health and since June 2003 by the Department for Education and Skills:

	Number of applications
1994	113
1995	150
1996	310
1997	221
1998	258
1999	277
2000	351
2001	326
2002	285
2003	300

Local Authority Secure Units

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local authority secure unit beds there were in each of the past 10 years; how many beds are projected to be provided in the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [175467]

Margaret Hodge: Secure children's homes provide accommodation for young people placed for the protection of themselves or others, and for those placed under criminal justice legislation by the Youth Justice Board. The following table provides information on the number of approved places in secure children's homes over the past 10 years.

Officials have been working closely, both with the Youth Justice Board and the Association of Directors of Social Services, to consider the implications for secure children's homes of the Youth Justice Board's decision to use fewer beds in local authority secure units.

We understand that a few secure children's homes will now close, and that a few others may close, on the basis that they will no longer be viable. For this reason, we are at this time unable to project the exact number of beds in secure children's homes over the next five years.

However, officials are looking very closely at the demand, including any unmet need, for welfare placements in order to ensure that there are sufficient beds across the country for children who need to be placed in a secure children's home for welfare reasons.

Our aim is to achieve the best quality service for vulnerable children who, for whatever reason, need a placement in secure accommodation.
Places approved/available to secure accommodation at 31 March

	Places approved/available
England
1994	290
1995	265
1996	275
1997	330
1998	415
1999	435
2000	435
2001	430
2002	425
2003	425

Source:
SA1 return




 
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Medical Courses (Drop-out Rates)

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the drop-out rate for students studying medicine on courses which lead to registration as a doctor was in the latest year for which figures are available. [176245]

Alan Johnson [holding answer 27 May 2004]: Figures are not held centrally. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HECFE) publish non-completion rates of students on full-time undergraduate courses in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", but these are not calculated for individual subjects, courses or entry qualifications.

It is generally agreed that non-completion rates are low in medicine and dentistry. For example, for full-time first degree students starting their course in 2000–01, St George's Hospital Medical School, the only remaining free-standing medical school in England, has a non-completion rate of 6 per cent. The overall non-completion rate for full-time first degree students at UK HE institutions, who began their studies in 2000–01, was estimated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to be 16 per cent.

Medical Students

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2004, Official Report, column 300W, on medical students, how many of the 95 students have ceased to pursue studies leading to registration with the General Medical Council and subsequent practice as a doctor. [175415]

Alan Johnson: Figures are not held centrally. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HECFE) publish non-completion rates of students on full-time undergraduate courses in 'Performance Indicators in Higher Education', but, these are not calculated for individual subjects, courses or entry qualifications.

It is generally agreed that non-completion rates are low in medicine and dentistry. For example, for full time first degree students starting their course in 2000/01, St. George's Hospital Medical School, the only remaining free-standing medical school in England, has a non-completion rate of 6 per cent. The overall non-completion rate for full-time first degree students at UK HE institutions, who began their studies in 2000–01, was estimated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to be 16 per cent.

National Child Care Strategy

Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many children in Blackpool North and Fleetwood have benefited from the National Childcare Strategy; [176204]

(2) how many child care places have been created in Blackpool North and Fleetwood since 1997. [176209]

 
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Margaret Hodge: The Department is unable to provide details of child care places for Blackpool North and Fleetwood. However, from April 1999 to March 2004 Blackpool local authority created 3,060 new child care places helping some 5,505 children. This shows an increase in the stock of child care places, taking into account turnover, of 2,149 helping some 3,899 children.

Pre-school Places

Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Blackpool North and Fleetwood in each of the last seven years. [176205]

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.

Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Blackpool local education authority area are shown in the table.

The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin 'Provision for children under five 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 three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, are eligible for a free, part-time early education place.
Number of free nursery education places1,2 taken up by three and four-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers Blackpool local education authority area: 1997–2003 Position in January each year

	Three- year-olds	Four-year-olds
1997	500	1,600
1998	500	1,600
1999	300	1,500
2000	1,600	1,400
2001	1,400	1,600
2002	1,400	1,600
2003	1,400	1,600

⁽¹⁷⁾ Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children.
⁽¹⁸⁾ A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for thirty-three weeks of the year, usually three terms of eleven weeks.

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