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Inquiries (Costs)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the cost to public funds of (a) the Tomlinson Inquiry and (b) the Adrian Smith inquiry. [179795]

Mr. Miliband: The Working Group on 14–19 Reform (Tomlinson Inquiry) in financial year 2003–04, spent just under £500,000. For the financial year of 2004–05, it has been estimated that spend will be approximately £600,000.

Programme expenditure on the Post-14 Mathematics Inquiry amounted to approximately £427,000.

Key Workers

Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2004, Official Report, column 1760W, on key workers, what evidence he has that (a) school teachers and (b) further education lecturers leave London when they want to start a family. [179762]

Mr. Miliband: Research reports commissioned by the ODPM and undertaken by Wilcox and PA Consulting concluded that key worker affordability is at its worst in London and the South East; the areas of the country with the highest house prices. Available evidence suggests that a significant problem for key worker employers is the retention of more experienced/older key workers. Each year, 3,800 teachers (school and FE) leave teaching in London, the South East and East for reasons strongly associated with housing. We therefore determined that our highest priority should be that set of London teachers identified in the London Challenge strategy document as "leaders of the future', who currently leave London teaching in order to afford family homes elsewhere. This group numbers around 500 each year. Second priority is the next group of London teachers (school and FE)—numbering some 1,750, and the third priority is the remaining group of 1,550, largely outside London. We were clear that teachers in our target groups are largely looking for homes to buy, not rent. For our highest priority group, family homes are the issue.

Learning and Skills Council

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2004, Official Report, column 1760W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), on Learning and Skills Council, whether elected regional assemblies will be given full responsibility for Learning and Skills Councils budgets. [176898]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 8 June 2004]: No. In our White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice' we set out proposals for local LSCs to be required to have regard to assembly strategies, including in drawing up their spending plans; and to consult the relevant assembly about their local plans. Assemblies will not have responsibility for Learning and Skills Council budgets: that responsibility will remain, as now, with the council.
 
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Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the progress of the Learning and Skills Council's Widening Adult Participation strategy. [177381]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: In September 2003, the LSC published "Successful Participation for All: Widening Adult Participation", setting out the Council's strategy for extending access to learning. The strategy requires local LSCs to adopt specific measures to support disadvantaged groups. It is being implemented by local LSCs, supported by a regionally held £2.5 million pa Widening Participation Action Fund. Every local LSC has identified groups which are under represented in learning and adopted impact measures for improvement. This work is integral to meeting the objective in the White Paper, "21st Century Skills, Realising Our Potential", to help individuals to obtain the skills they need to be both employable and personally fulfilled.

Leigh Primary School

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the last Ofsted inspection of Leigh Primary School, Wiltshire took place; and when the next Ofsted inspection of Leigh Primary School will take place. [179198]

Mr. Miliband: Leigh Primary School was last inspected by Ofsted on 4–5 February 2004 and deemed to be in need of special measures. Her Majesty's Inspectors will make their first monitoring visit about six months after that inspection.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to close Leigh Primary School. [179199]

Mr. Miliband: The Secretary of State has no current plans to give a direction to the Local Education Authority to close Leigh Primary School.

Mathematics

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what discussions his Department has had with the Advisory Committee on Maths Education about improving mathematics education; [179415]

(2) when his Department will publish a formal response to the Smith Inquiry; [179416]

(3) if he will make a statement on the Smith report; and what steps his Department is taking to improve the standard of mathematics education. [179417]

Mr. Miliband: I am replying to these three parliamentary questions together as they all have links to the Post-14 Mathematics Inquiry. We are most grateful to Professor Adrian Smith for the work he has put into the report, "Making Mathematics Count", and for his continued support. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has said previously, the issues are complex and need to be considered carefully, particularly alongside the work of the Working Group on 14–19 Reform. A response is expected shortly. We
 
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have already announced that we accept the need for a high level post within the Department dedicated to mathematics and that we plan to undertake a marketing campaign to promote the take-up of mathematics. The post of Chief Adviser for Mathematics has now been advertised and in the meantime Anita Straker of the Centre for British Teachers, has been appointed on an interim basis.

Officials informally met members of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) during 2001 while it was being set up and, since 2002, have met the committee on a regular basis to discuss mathematics education. Ministers from this Department and the Department for Trade and Industry have also met ACME. During the period of the inquiry, ACME organised a series of workshops for Professor Smith to develop and discuss key areas. ACME and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) held a joint workshop in March to discuss specific recommendations in the Smith report, which was funded and attended by this Department. Anita Straker, the Department's Interim Chief Adviser for Mathematics, is due to meet the committee later this month.

Office for Fair Access

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the role of the Office for Fair Access in university admissions. [176014]

Alan Johnson: Institutions are, and will remain, responsible for their own admissions policies and procedures. The Director of Fair Access will not be concerned with these when he considers institutions' access plans, which will be focused on encouraging applications from under-represented groups. We have accepted an amendment to the Higher Education Bill, which will ensure that the Director must have regard to the need to protect academic freedom, particularly in respect of the admission of students.

Ofsted Inspections

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average (a) duration and (b) cost of an Ofsted inspection of (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools was in the latest year for which figures are available. [179223]

Mr. Miliband: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.

PFI/PPP Schemes

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the private finance initiative and public private partnership schemes his Department has entered into that have been subject to refinancing deals, indicating in each case how much of the windfall gain has been repaid to the Government. [179061]

 
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Mr. Miliband: The only private finance initiative/public private partnership that my Department has entered into is the Connexions Card, which is a PPP. It has not been subject to refinancing.

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) book value of the stakeholding, (b) onward sale price and (c) arrangements for sharing any windfall gain from subsequent refinancing arrangements are for each of the private finance initiative and public private partnership schemes his Department has entered into where there has been an onward sale of the private sector stakeholding into secondary market. [179064]

Mr. Miliband: The only private finance initiative/public private partnership scheme in my Department is the Connexions Card which has not been subject to onward sale into a secondary market.

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