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24 Jun 2004 : Column 1534W—continued
Travel Costs
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2004, Official Report, columns 936–37W, on travel costs, if he will provide analogous data for air travel costs between 1974 and 2003. [180019]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 22 June 2004]: The cost of air travel from 1996 to 2003 is shown in index form in the following table. This data is taken from the Consumer Price Index 1 , published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Note that these figures are not adjusted for inflation.
The data between 1996 and 2000 are not comparable with data from 2001 onwards. Between 1996 and 2000, the index only includes the purchase of flights on the day of travel, and is not representative of all air travel.
1 Like the Retail Price Index (RPI), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the average change from month to month in the prices of consumer goods and services. However it differs in the particular households it represents, the range of goods and services included, and the way the index is constructed.
| 1996 | 100.0 |
| 1997 | 103.3 |
| 1998 | 107.3 |
| 1999 | 109.0 |
| 2000 | 111.5 |
| 2001 | 121.5 |
| 2002 | 120.1 |
| 2003 | 114.0 |
Source:
Consumer Price Index, Office for National Statistics
There is no information available prior to 1996 on the overall cost of air travel.
Vehicle Operator Services Agency
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in relation to the monitoring mechanisms for pay harmonisation and pay equalisation referred to in the business case submitted prior to the merger of the former Vehicle Inspectorate and the Traffic Area Network into the new Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA); and if he will make
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a statement on the decision not to fund centrally the cost of pay equalisation and pay harmonisation during the creation of VOSA. [180388]
Mr. Jamieson: Pay harmonisation is being achieved over a three year period 2003–06. As a Trading Fund, VOSA will be required to meet its costs from its fees and charges.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Arts Council Budget
Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget for the Arts Council for 2004–05 is; how much of this budget has been committed this year, and to what projects this money has been committed. [179943]
Estelle Morris: The budget for the Arts Council is set out in the following table.
| Budget | Commitment | |
|---|---|---|
| £000 | £000 | |
| Grant in Aid (GIA): | ||
| Regularly Funded Organisations | 280,081 | 279,515 |
| Managed funds | 28,000 | 2,919 |
| Grants to Individuals | 7,500 | 1,431 |
| Creative Partnerships | 25,000 | 25,000 |
| GIA administration | 23,677 | 23,677 |
| Total | 364,258 | 332,542 |
| Lottery: | ||
| Grants for National Touring | 10,000 | 2,679 |
| Grants to Organisations | 41,000 | 7,982 |
| Stabilisation/Recovery of large scale organisations | 16,000 | 16,000 |
| Capital Projects | 89,500 | 89,500 |
| National Foundation for Youth Music | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Awards for All | 7,000 | 1,790 |
| Lottery administration | 18,968 | 18,968 |
| Total | 192,468 | 146,919 |
Arts Council England's total Grant in Aid allocation for 2004–05 is £365,455,000.
Arts Council England's Lottery allocation for 2004–05 is £198,200,000. The Lottery budget is based on a cash flow forecasting exercise.
It is not possible to list all of the projects that have received funding for the period 2004–05. For example the Grant in Aid budget supports over 1200 regularly funded organisations.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Teenage Pregnancies
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the most recent rate of teenage pregnancies per thousand population was in (a) Longbridge ward, Birmingham, (b) Birmingham and (c) England; and what action he is taking to monitor efforts to reduce this rate. [179425]
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
The latest under 18 conception data available at a ward level show there were 35 conceptions to females aged under 18 in Longbridge ward in 2000. At ward level, teenage pregnancy rates per thousand
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population can only be estimated due to the lack of accurate population denominators. An estimated aggregated rate for 1998–2000 for Longbridge ward shows an under 18 conception rate around 72 per 1,000 females aged 15–17.
(a) The latest under 18 conception rate for Birmingham shows a provisional rate of 49.9 per 1,000 females aged 15–17 in 2002. This compares with a 1998 rate of 58.6 per 1,000 females aged 15–17.
(b) The latest under 18 conception rate for England shows a provisional rate of 42.6 per 1,000 females aged 15–17 in 2002. This compares with a 1998 rate of 47.0 per 1,000 females aged 15–17.
Monitoring of the implementation of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy is undertaken at both a national and local level. At a national level, an Independent Advisory Group (IAG) provides advice to Government and monitors the overall success of the strategy. Its membership of 25 meets quarterly and members make visits to local areas to learn about implementation of the local teenage pregnancy strategies.
At a local level, implementation of the teenage pregnancy strategy in each top-tier local authority in England is reviewed every six months. Local areas submit annual reports and forward action plans at the end of March. These are assessed by regional assessment panels and written feedback given by the Regional Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinator and the Teenage Pregnancy Unit. The Regional Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinators also conduct six monthly review meetings to discuss progress.
Departmental Secondments
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in his Department and its agencies were seconded from the (a) private and (b) academic sector in each of the last three years. [175368]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The number of secondments from the private and academic sector for each year from April 2002 is:
| April to March | Private Sector | Academic Sector |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 6 | 34 |
| 2003–04 | 7 | 29 |
Information for April 2001 to March 2002 is not available in the form requested.
Free School Meals (Surrey)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills why the number of secondary school pupils in Surrey taking free school meals in January 2002 was higher than the number eligible for free school meals; and if he will make a statement. [179092]
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
We have investigated the difference and unfortunately found that the number of pupils taking free school meals in Surrey secondary schools in January 2002 as previously published by the Department was not accurate.
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The available statistics are based upon returns from the Annual Schools Census. These returns provide the number of pupils who had a free school meal at lunchtime on the Census day itself. One secondary school in Surrey recorded an incorrect total in the 2002 Annual Schools Census. This was the first year of a change from paper forms to electronic returns and this error was not noticed at the time. The published statistics reflect the data as returned by the school; hence the Surrey total was erroneously higher than the number of pupils who were eligible for a free meal. I have instructed officials to highlight this error on the Department's statistical website where the 2002 figures are published and to check other related publications.
Numbers of pupils eligible to receive free school meals are also derived from the Annual Schools Census. The eligibility information is collected at pupil level and is subject to more detailed validation checks. The pupil level returns are aggregated to form school and LEA statistics that are widely used within the Department and beyond. There are no known concerns about the accuracy of the eligibility statistics.
Post-16 Education
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether there are systematic checks on eligibility for post-16 education. [177943]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Yes. Eligibility checks on post-16, excluding higher education, students are determined by the eligibility requirements, the level of risk of abuse and the need to minimise bureaucratic burdens on learners, learning providers and employers. This is an operational matter and the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
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