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18 Jun 2004 : Column 1140W—continued
Namibia
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to send a fisheries protection vessel to the seas off Namibia. [179266]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to deploy fisheries protection vessels to the seas off Namibia. This would not address the root causes of the problem. UK fisheries protection vessels are currently deployed elsewhere. We are, however, supporting the British High Commissioner in Windhoek and his Defence Attaché in developing proposals to assist Namibia with Economic Exclusion Zone management training.
RAF Menwith Hill
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans have been agreed to allow the US Third Air Force and USAFE to take responsibility for the operation of RAF Menwith Hill; and if he will make a statement. [179207]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 17 June 2004]: There are no plans for the United States Third Air Force and USAFE to take responsibility for the operation of RAF Menwith Hill. However, discussions are taking place concerning the possible provision, by USAFE, of an administrative and logistic support unit. This will not have any impact on the current management of the base nor the mission, which will remain unchanged.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has held with the US Air Intelligence Agency about its operation of the RAF Menwith Hill Station. [179209]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 17 June 2004]: Ministry of Defence officials work closely on a daily basis with their counterparts in the United States Air Intelligence Agency regarding the operation of RAF Menwith Hill.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he permits US forces based in the UK to hold (a) chemical and (b) biological (i) weapons and (ii) counter-weapon material. [178707]
Mr. Hoon
[holding answer 14 June 2004]: There are no United States chemical or biological weapons held in the United Kingdom. Both the US and UK are States Parties to the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons
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Convention (BTWC). The BTWC prohibits the development, manufacture, acquisition, and stockpiling of any biological weapons.
The US is a declared possessor of chemical weapons under the terms of the CWC and is in the process of destroying its stockpiles under Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons supervision.
Both the CWC and BTWC provide for States Parties to maintain programmes to protect against chemical and biological weapons.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Free School Meals
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advertising campaigns his Department has run since 2001 to make eligible parents aware of their child's entitlement to free school meals. [179060]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has not run any advertising campaigns to make eligible parents aware of their child's entitlement to free school meals. My officials provide local education authorities (LEAs) with the eligibility criteria for free school meals and LEAs disseminate this information to parents and schools.
Racism (Schools)
Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what instructions have been given to (a) local education authorities and (b) head teachers to ensure that children are not exposed to (i) racist opinion expressed by and (ii) policy decisions taken by elected representatives. [176829]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: There are safeguards in sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 against politically partisan activities or teaching in schools. LEAs and schools must take reasonable steps to ensure that where political or controversial issues are covered, teachers offer pupils a balanced presentation of opposing views. Guidance for teachers from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on teaching citizenship education, a national curriculum subject which covers these issues, has been sent to all schools. As part of local authorities, LEAs are bound by duty under the Race Relations Act (2000) to promote race equality, tackle unlawful racial discrimination and promote good race relations when carrying out all their relevant functions, even where those functions are carried out by other representatives.
Computer/Student Ratios (England)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the computer/student ratio is for (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools in England, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement. [179091]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The information requested is not available centrally.
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Figures for England, which were derived from a sample of schools, are shown in the table.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Maintained primary schools | 7.9 |
| Maintained secondary schools | 5.4 |
| Maintained special schools | 3.0 |
(1) Full-time equivalent numbers of pupils.
The latest information on ICT in schools was published in Statistical Bulletin "Survey of information and Communications Technology in Schools 2003", which is available on the Department's website www. dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
Drug Testing
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools conduct drug testing on pupils. [176785]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: We do not collect these data centrally.
Educational Visits (Health and Safety)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance his Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) local education authorities in relation to the health and safety of pupils on educational visits; [179103]
(2) if he will make a statement on the legal obligations and standards of care that apply to teachers participating in an educational visit. [179104]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My Department has issued:
"Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits" (1998)
"Standards for LEAs in Overseeing Educational Visits, Standards for Adventure" and "A Handbook for Group Leaders" (2002)
"Group Safety at Water Margins" (2003)
"Swimming Charter" (2003)
Teachers must take reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety; co-operate with their employers; carry out the activities in accordance with training and instructions; and inform the employer of any serious risks. The good practice that helps teachers fulfil their statutory obligations is set out in the above documents.
Home Computers (School Pupils)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the proportion of (a) primary school age and (b) secondary school age pupils who have home access to computers; and if he will make a statement. [179089]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The latest figures on child access to ICT at home are shown in the table. These figures are derived from the Young People and ICT 2002 survey which was a sample survey of households with children in England, carried out in September and October 2002.
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| Key stage | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Overall | 81 |
| Key stage 1 | 68 |
| Key stage 2 | 79 |
| Key stage 3 | 83 |
| Key stage 4 | 87 |
| Post 16 | 87 |
The full survey results have been published on the Department's website at: www.dfes.gov.uk/ictinschools/evidence/
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has commissioned into the link between home computer access and learning; and if he will make a statement. [179090]
Mr. Charles Clarke: My Department has commissioned the University of Sheffield to conduct research into children's use of ICT at home and its impact on attainment in key stage tests and GCSEs. The project commenced in December 2003 and is due to report in spring 2005.
Research shows that household access to ICT has increased significantly in recent years. Among school-age children, the effective use of ICT has been shown to have a positive effect on their learning. The ImpaCT2 research study (2002) quantified this as the equivalent of half a grade at GCSE in some subjects. The current research on pupils home use of ICT will help us to understand the relative contribution of home use of ICT to improving standards.
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