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Special Educational Needs and Disability (Crosby)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent in Crosby from measures within the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. [178895]

Margaret Hodge: Information on total spending to support the duties introduced as a result of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 is not collected centrally. Funding to local authorities in England for education in the school sector has risen from £26.4 billion in 2001–02 to £28.3 billion in 2003–04. Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those in the Crosby area, have benefited from these significant additional resources, in the school sector alone local authorities planned to spend nearly £3.5 billion in 2003–04 on SEN, of which about £1.5 billion was spent on special education in special schools, £1.7 billion on provision in mainstream schools and about £2.4 million on local authority responsibilities including educational psychologists and carrying out statutory assessments.

Some £220 million was made available between 2001–02 and 2003–04 specifically to support improvements in access to schools for disabled pupils and students, including those in the Crosby area. This is part of overall capital funds of £9 billion for education made available to local authorities during the same period.

Standards and Effectiveness Unit

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the closure of the Standards and Effectiveness Unit. [179419]

 
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Mr. Stephen Twigg: Schools Directorate is about to undergo a reorganisation which will see the advent of a new 'Primary, Secondary and Delivery Group' in place of the existing Standards and Effectiveness Unit, Secondary Group and Primary and E-Learning Group. It will be responsible for strategy, policy development and programme management for primary and secondary education and for a range of delivery programmes in support of the strategies for each phase.

These changes flow from the Prime Minister's radical reform agenda for the delivery of better quality public services and will reinforce and increase our focus on standards. Raising school standards remains a key priority for the Government and this reorganisation will ensure that this continues.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Ballot Papers

Mr. Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the powers political parties and individual candidates have to put slogans on the ballot paper; and whether each of these is agreed in advance by (a) the Electoral Commission and (b) the returning officer. [179304]

Mr. Leslie: A registered political party can describe itself on a ballot paper using up to six words. The description can be either the party name registered with the Electoral Commission or a variation of it, providing that this is properly authorised by the party's nominating officer and approved by the returning officer. The returning officer can refuse to allow a nomination using a variation of a party's registered name if in his or her view it would lead voters to associate the candidate with another registered party.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have left employment in his Department because of (a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175675]

Mr. Lammy: My Department has no central record of the reasons for staff leaving the Department broken down by these categories. When staff leave on medical grounds, the reasons are recorded on their individual personal files. However, the Civil Service Pensions Division of the Cabinet Office has provided figures on the number of medical retirement certificates issued for reasons of mental health as follows:

2000–01: 13

2001–02: 13

These may not all have resulted in retirements. Figures for 2002 onwards cannot be provided for reasons of confidentiality as there are fewer than five cases in each year. Figures for the years prior to 2000 are not available due to a change of medical advice contractor (this information was not a requirement of the contract before April 2000).
 
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My Department is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of its employees while at work. Initiatives include an in-house Welfare Service and a Stress Toolkit due to be launched in early July. In addition the Department won the Opportunity Now National Public Sector award last year for its work-life balance policies.

Electoral Malpractice

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what mechanisms exist to identify in which elections an individual has participated when multiple elections are held. [179044]

Mr. Leslie: Under current electoral law, the electoral register is marked to indicate that a ballot paper has been issued to an elector. Where elections are combined, a different mark is made to indicate for which election a ballot paper has been issued. The marked copies of the register are available for public inspection after the election.

Electoral Roll (Chorley)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many electors were on the electoral roll in Chorley in each year since 1997. [179287]

Mr. Leslie: Based on figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in respect of the annual register of electors this information is as follows:

	Electors
1997	75,251
1998	76,047
1999	76,468
2000	77,204
2001	78,526
2002	78,510
2003	79,243

High Sheriffs

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many high sheriffs in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire have been (i) Masons and (ii) members of political parties in the last 10 years. [179288]

Mr. Leslie: High sheriffs are not required to disclose this information. The shrievalty is, however, a non-political office, and any high sheriff who has been politically active is required to refrain from local or national political activity during his or her year as Sheriff.

Magistrates

Tom Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many lay magistrates there are in the Greater London area; and how many vacancies for lay magistrates there are. [178685]

 
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Mr. Leslie: On 14 June 2004 there were 3,109 lay magistrates in the Greater London area. During the course of the year Advisory Committees determine the number of vacancies they are seeking to fill as part of their annual recruitment exercise. Figures are not yet available for 2004–05. However, in the 12 months leading up to April this year Committees reported that they were seeking to fill 194 vacancies in the Greater London area.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what information is requested from those appointed as magistrates concerning their (a) religion and (b) membership of organisations. [179348]

Mr. Leslie: The application form for potential recruits to the magistracy does not contain any question about the religion of candidates. Applicants are asked to specify what organisations and clubs they belong to and what time commitment each requires. They are also asked, for monitoring purposes, whether or not they are freemasons.

Mental Incapacity Bill

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, columns 382–83W, on the Mental Incapacity Bill, what legal protection there is for those aged 16 or under if they lack mental capacity and are not covered by the draft Mental Incapacity Bill. [174333]

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.

The legal protection of children under 16 is primarily the responsibility of their parents. Section 3 of the Children Act 1989 gives the meaning of parental responsibility. Children under 16 are presumed to lack mental capacity, as defined legally in some respect, which is why parents can largely make decisions on behalf of their children. The threshold at which local authorities can apply to the courts for a care order which confers parental responsibility on the applicant authority is given in Section 31 of the Children Act 1989.

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