---

21 Jun 2004 : Column 1209W—continued

Children's Green Paper

Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what response he has made to the consultation on the Children's Green Paper, "Every Child Matters". [176525]

Margaret Hodge: I published "Every Child Matters: next steps" on 4 March 2004, alongside the publication of the Children Bill. This included the Government response to the Green Paper consultation.

There were over 4,500 responses to "Every Child Matters", many from children and young people. The vast majority were strongly supportive of the Government's vision.

We considered the responses carefully and set out the Government response in "Every Child Matters: Next Steps", published on 4 March alongside the Children Bill. The Children Bill creates the legislative spine for developing more effective and accessible services focussed around the needs of children, young people and families. Progress since March has included consultation on an integrated inspection framework for children's services and the announcement of the Children and Young People's Sector Skills Council.

Children's Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the training requirements which will result from (a) local authorities bringing all their children's services under the direction of one accountable officer and (b) the setting up of Children's Trusts; and what provision he has made in his departmental budget to meet such costs. [179243]

Margaret Hodge: In 2004–05 the £20 million Change Fund, announced in the "Every Child Matters: Next Steps" document, will be used in part to develop cross-sector leadership programmes to support directors of children's services and their key local partners, and to support the next generation of directors. It will also be used to assist local authorities, primary care trusts and others in developing Children's Trusts, including through joint workforce training.

We are also providing up to £100,000 per year until 2005–06 to the 35 Children's Trusts Pathfinders to support activities such as joint training.
 
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1210W
 

Local authorities will continue to fund their own programmes of workforce development, but we would expect to see more programmes of joint training as the authorities and their partners move towards integrated working through Children's Trusts. We are also currently considering our plans for the next spending review period from 2005–08.

Departmental Staff

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many officials in his Department have received early release packages in each year since 1997; what the cost of each package was; and what the average amount received is. [179002]

Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 15 June 2004]: From the 1997–98 financial year to the end of the 2003–04 financial year, the total number of early releases, the total costs, and the average cost to my Department arising from the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, were as follows:
£

Financial year	Number of releases	Total cost to DfES (£ million)	Average cost (£000)
1997–98	101	5.145	50.94
1998–99	51	2.73	53.53
1999–2000	50	4.237	84.74
2000–01	61	4.06	66.56
2001–02	84	6.142	73.12
2002–03	57	5.57	97.72
2003–04	28	2.54	90.71
Total	432	30.424	70.43

Records are not held centrally about the amount each person received, which is not always the same as the costs to the Department, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Early Years Learning

Ms Walley: 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 Stoke-on-Trent North in each of the last seven years. [177642]

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 Stoke-on-Trent 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.
 
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1211W
 

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, Stoke-on-Trent local education authority area, 1997 to 2003

Position in January each year	Three-year-olds	Four-year-olds
1997	1,200	3,100
1998	2,000	3,000
1999	2,000	2,900
2000	2,300	2,800
2001	2,200	2,800
2002	2,000	2,900
2003	2,200	2,700

⁽¹⁶⁾ Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children.
⁽¹⁷⁾ A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.

Identity Card Scheme

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he expects the introduction of an identity card scheme will help ensure that all children get into education. [177791]

Mr. Charles Clarke: We see identity cards having a major contribution to the work of my Department and its agencies. We have identified four key areas: our proposals for a Children's Service Passport; the Connexions Card issued to 16 to 19-year-olds; access to post-16 education and training; and our proposed Unique Learner Number Infrastructure. However, all of our proposals for the use of identity cards relate to the post-16 provision of education and training. In respect of pre-16 education, we have a legal obligation to educate all children of the appropriate age within our education system.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what uses his Department has for an identity card scheme; and what information would be required through the national identity database to enable the scheme to be put to those uses. [177839]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The identity cards scheme has potential to realise administrative savings for training providers and funding bodies in post-16 education and skills training; reduce financial and identity fraud in gaining entry to and working in education and training; and by simplifying the application process for individuals accessing services.

The information required of the card itself or of the National Identity Register would depend on the context.

Pre-School Provision (Greater London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been given by his Department during the last 12 months to pre-school provision within the Greater London area. [179049]

Margaret Hodge: The Department funds a range of provision in London, such as children's centres, Neighbourhood Nurseries and Sure Start Local Programmes, concentrated in the more disadvantaged areas. In all local authorities the Department meets the
 
21 Jun 2004 : Column 1212W
 
cost of part-time early education places and a Sure Start General Grant is paid, most of which supports pre-school provision.

From April 2003, funding to support the delivery of early years education was consolidated within the under fives sub-block of each local authority's Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)—the main source of education funding. The under fives sub-block for Greater London total amount is £499.45 million for 2004–05.

The amount of Sure Start General Grant paid to London authorities was £48.3 million in 2003–04.

The main children's centre programme will begin this financial year. However, for the period 2003–04, £2.05 million was provided to London local authorities in advance of this to encourage early development of the programme. There are 96 Sure Start local programmes in London who received £61.98 million revenue and claimed £21.1 million in capital grants in 2003–04. Grants of £4.3 million were made to Early Excellence Centres in London 2003–04. There are 153 neighbourhood nurseries currently open in London delivering nearly 5,000 day care places. We are making available a total of £24 million in revenue funding to enable these nurseries to establish themselves. Funding is via the local authority and each individual nursery is eligible for grant for the first three years of operation.

---