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Nursery Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) which neighbourhood nursery projects he has funded; and which have subsequently closed; [178389]

(2) what his target is for (a) the number of new neighbourhood nurseries to be set up in the next five years and (b) the number of children they will cater for; [178390]

(3) what assessment of sustainability is made for new neighbourhood nursery projects before funding is granted; [178391]

(4) how much money has been spent on neighbourhood nurseries since their inception, expressed (a) in cash terms and (b) per place created; [178392]

(5) what his plans are for (a) future funding and (b) expansion of the qualifying criteria for neighbourhood nurseries. [178393]

Margaret Hodge: 1,145 neighbourhood nurseries are open, providing 39,584 places. No neighbourhood nurseries have so far closed.

We are committed to delivering 45,000 high quality places through neighbourhood nurseries and are on target to do so by the end of summer 2004. There are no plans to develop further neighbourhood nurseries. Instead, our future focus is on the development of children's centres, which build on existing provision such as Sure Start local programmes, neighbourhood nurseries, Early Excellence centres and maintained nursery schools. In the current spending review period we plan to develop children's centres and 43,000 new full day care places in disadvantaged areas.

To ensure sustainability all providers wishing to develop a neighbourhood nursery were required to submit a five-year business plan to their local authority at the planning stage. The business plan contains sustainability plans including the establishment of a viable fee structure and identification of other relevant sources of funding and support that will help sustain nursery after the initial three-year funding period. £31 million sustainability funding through the Sustainability Grant is also available for local
 
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authorities to support provision in the most disadvantaged areas and they can choose to use this money to support neighbourhood nurseries if necessary.

£100 million from the New Opportunities Fund and £25 million from the Department for Education and Skills has been allocated to projects as capital to help build and refurbish premises where necessary. Financial figures are not collected with the same frequency as nursery opening figures. The latest figures which enable us to compare finance and nursery openings show around £84.5 million has so far been allocated to local authorities for 1,088 open neighbourhood nursery projects at an average of £2,272 capital per neighbourhood nursery place.

£246 million has been allocated by the Department for Education and Skills to cover revenue funding for neighbourhood nursery projects. Each neighbourhood nursery is entitled to a maximum of £5,400 per neighbourhood nursery place, which is paid over three years. The Sure Start unit has agreed to some projects converting some of this revenue to capital money, and as a result, based on the 1,088 open nurseries, around £182.5 million is due over their first three years of operation working out at an average of £4,906 per place.

Once the remaining neighbourhood nurseries in development are open the full capital and revenue budgets will be spent.

Pupil Statistics

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils aged 11 to 18 attend schools catering for (a) seven to 11, (b) seven to 13, (c) five to eight, (d) four to seven, (e) nine to 13 and (f) other year groups in each local education authority. [181009]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 29 June 2004]: The available information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Socially Disadvantaged Learners

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Learning and Skills Council has to fund college nurseries for socially disadvantaged learners. [180931]

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for 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.

Special Educational Needs

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the number of children with special educational needs who are not in school but are awaiting an appropriate placement. [180340]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 24 June 2004]: The information requested is not held centrally. However, of
 
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the 28,100 children for whom new statements were issued last year, some 800 were being educated other than in school, approximately:

100 pupils were permanently excluded and waiting for placement;

300 were the subject of alternative arrangements made by their local education authorities;

200 were the subject of other arrangements made by their parents; and 200 were waiting for provision.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants were recruited in the last 12 months. [181698]

Mr. Alexander: Information on numbers of civil servants recruited in the last 12 months is not yet available. The most recent numbers available relate to the period ending April 2002. Numbers recruited to April 2003 will be available later in summer 2004.

A breakdown of numbers of civil servants recruited is published annually in Civil Service Statistics. Table I shows the number of Permanent Entrants to the Civil Service. Copies of Civil Service Statistics are available in the Library and at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Electoral Register

Mr. Webb: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make it his policy to ensure that, for future elections, marked electoral registers are available which indicate (a) which voters voted in person and (b) which voters used postal votes. [182063]

Mr. Leslie: Registers marked to show who has been issued with a ballot paper at a polling station are already compiled. We are examining carefully the proposal to mark registers to indicate the return of postal ballot papers, as part of our consideration of a number of options for electoral reform.

FOI (Charges)

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that charges for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 do not have a deterrent effect on the volume of requests likely to be made. [182373]

Mr. Lammy: The Government have stated that a fee structure that acted as a significant deterrent to people making use of their rights under the Act would go against the spirit and purpose of the Act.

Magistrates

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Government have to provide more training to magistrates on community sentences. [182293]

 
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Mr. Leslie: The Judicial Studies Board (JSB) is developing a national training programme in respect of the changes arising out of the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, including the new provisions for community sentences. This programme will include training materials for magistrates and their legal advisers supported by training courses for MCC trainers.

Statutory responsibility for the training of magistrates currently rests with the 42 independent Magistrates Courts Committees (MCCs). In court lay magistrates sit with their justices clerk or a legal adviser. The justices clerk has a statutory duty to provide advice to the magistrates on questions of law, practice and procedure. This will include advice on applying any case law and relevant Court of Appeal judgments when making decisions on sentence.

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