| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
29 Jun 2004 : Column 255W—continued
Special Educational Needs
Sarah Teather:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money each London local education authority
29 Jun 2004 : Column 256W
allocated to special educational needs in 2003–04. [180099]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 22 June 2004]: The information requested is contained within the following table:
Notes:
1. The data are taken from local education authorities' 2003–04 Section 52 Budget statements submitted to the DfES. 2003–04 data is subject to change by the LEA.
2. The SEN element of the schools budget includes the provision for pupils with statements, specialist support for statemented and non-statemented pupils, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, collaboration and integration and inter-authority recoupment. This is recorded in lines 1.1.1 to 1.1.6 in table 1 of the budget statement.
3. The SEN element of the LEA budget includes educational psychology service/assessments and statementing, LEA functions in relation to child protection, health service partnerships/special medical attention, parent partnership, guidance and information and promoting good practice and collaboration. This is recorded in line 2.2.6 of table 1 of the budget statement.
4. The SEN element of the schools budget is recorded in line 1.0.1 of table 1 of the budget statement.
29 Jun 2004 : Column 257W
Truancy
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been spent by (a) central Government and (b) local education authorities in England and Wales on advertising to deter truancy in each of the past four years for which figures are available. [179903]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 24 June 2004]: The information is as follows:
(a) The Department has spent approximately £223,000 to fund centrally a number of initiatives to raise awareness of truancy issues, including a poster and leaflet campaign aimed at parents. As part of this campaign, a flyer was sent to 9 million recipients of child benefit.
The full amount breaks down as £113,000 in 2002–03 and £110,000 in 2003–04.
These promotional activities supported a wide range of work by the Department, local education authorities and schools aimed at improving school attendance levels. One such initiative is the twice yearly national truancy sweeps which can generate much coverage in the local press.
(b) This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the truancy figures were for each year since 1997, broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity; and if he will make a statement. [180522]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Truancy figures for schools in England are collected annually from schools and each school provides one set of figures. Information on the characteristics of individual pupils such as gender and ethnicity cannot be derived from these data.
Vocational Education
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is being provided to support the 14 to 16 flexibility initiative to bring vocational education to school children. [180929]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Department will provide the 'Increased Flexibility for 14 to 16 Year Olds' programme with £58 million direct funding to
29 Jun 2004 : Column 258W
partnerships in 2004–06. Indirect funding to provide a wide range of training and support will be up to £43 million in the same period.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Emergency Calls
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 999 emergency calls were made in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years, broken down by emergency service. [179086]
Angela Smith: The information requested for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade is detailed in the following table. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to write to the hon. Lady with the comparable figures for Her Majesty's Coastguard.
| Calendar/ financial year | Northern Ireland Ambulance Service | Police Service of Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland Fire Brigade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 80,234 | 189,385 | 60,908 |
| 2002–03 | 72,732 | 201,057 | 53,453 |
| 2001–02 | 73,432 | 238,882 | 63,594 |
| 2000–01 | 71,383 | n/a | 55,890 |
| 1999–2000 | 68,370 | n/a | 48,254 |
| 1998–99 | 66,751 | n/a | 45,162 |
| 1997–98 | 63,139 | n/a | 47,754 |
| 1996–97 | 62,106 | n/a | 42,820 |
| 1995–96 | 59,379 | n/a | 38,338 |
| 1994–95 | 53,851 | n/a | 30,326 |
n/a =not available.
Notes:
1. Northern Ireland Fire Brigade and the Police Service for Northern Ireland records 999 calls on a calendar year basis.
2. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service data shows the number of emergency incidents responded to.
3. The Police Service for Northern Ireland do not have ready access to statistics for the past 10 years.
Acute Hospital Provision (Tyrone and Fermanagh)
Mrs. Iris Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will (a) take steps to stop the implementation of the decision to remove acute hospital provision from County Tyrone pending a review and
29 Jun 2004 : Column 259W
(b) instruct the Health Minister to work with stakeholders to develop a solution which (i) meets the needs of the people of Tyrone and Fermanagh and (ii) is sustainable. [180301]
Angela Smith: I remain of the opinion that the "Developing Better Services" model represents the best configuration of hospital services, both for Northern Ireland in general and for the people of the south west.
The Department, in conjunction with the Western Health and Social Services Board and Sperrin Lakeland Trust, will continue to work closely with stakeholders in relation to both the implementation of the new service model and the ongoing provision of services.
Autism
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on autism respite provision for those living in the Crumlin and Antrim region. [179656]
Angela Smith: There is a three bedded unit in Randalstown providing respite to children in the Antrim/Ballymena area, and an eight bedded unit in Ballymena, which both offer residential respite to approximately 40 children, including those with autism. There is a waiting list for both units.
Depending on the complexity of need, there is a family-based scheme offering a respite service to children throughout Homefirst Trust.
There is also a range of respite options for adults with a learning disability, including autism:
(i) A dedicated three bedded unit at Oriel Lodge, Antrim.
(ii) Family based respite.
(iii) Specifically commissioned respite in nursing/residential homes.
The Trust provides respite for 70 families within the Antrim/Ballymena area.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to provide a specialist province-wide centre for autism respite care. [179657]
Angela Smith:
The development of services for children with autism is a departmental priority and £0.5 million has been made available for this purpose in 2004–05. It is important, however, that services are locally accessible. Consequently there are no plans to provide a specialist province wide centre for autism respite.
29 Jun 2004 : Column 260W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |