| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1693W—continued
Learning and Skills Council/HEFCE/Sector Skills Agency
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff are employed in administration roles within the (a) Learning and Skills Council, (b) Higher Education Funding Council for England and (c) Sector Skills Agency. [187487]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The overall number of staff in post in each organisation, as at August 2004, is set out in the following table.
| Organisation | Number of staff(8) |
|---|---|
| Learning and Skills Council for England | 3,871 |
| Higher Education Funding Council for England | 256 |
| Sector Skills Development Agency | 84 |
(8) Staff in post figures are expressed as full-time equivalents.
Looked-after Children/Care Leavers
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to extend the funding which was available for the purchase of capital equipment for looked-after children and care leavers in 2002–03 and 2003–04 to future years; and what plans there are for alternative funding. [188994]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 14 September 2004]: Overall support for capital investment in schools, including buildings and information and communications technology, has risen to £4.9 billion in 2004–05, and will rise to £5.5 billion in 2005–06. Increasingly, we provide this support direct to local authorities, and let them set priorities locally. Looked-after children can benefit from this investment, and we have no plans to extend the specific Quality Protects Information Technology Grant, which ended in 2003–04.
Pupil Funding (Coventry, South)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the most recent figures are for the per pupil funding level for (a) schools, (b) sixth forms and (c) further education colleges in the Coventry South region. [189157]
Mr. Miliband: The total funding per pupil aged 3–15 for 2004–05 in Coventry LEA is £3,920.
The further education funding system is different to schools. Funding is paid for learning aims as well as an entitlement per 16 to 18 payment. Under the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC's) funding formula the basic cost to the public purse of delivering three A-levels in a sixth form college and a further education college to a student in the 2004–05 academic year will be £3,045. This figure comprises £766 for the delivery of each A-level learning aim, and £747 for each student for the entitlement element of their learning programme.
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1694W
Under the LSC's funding formula the basic cost to the public purse of delivering three A-levels to a student at an English maintained secondary school will be £3,212. This figure comprises £785 for the delivery of each A-level learning aim, £750 for each student for the entitlement element of their learning programme, and £107 for each student to meet additional employers' contributions to teachers' pensions.
These figures do not represent all funding that colleges and school sixth forms receive and are not directly comparable. For example the further education funding rates include consolidated funds for pay and staff training that are not reflected in the school sixth form rates. Also, in each case additional funding may also be available to take account of the higher costs of delivering learning in particular geographical areas, in higher cost subjects, or to students with particular disadvantages or individual needs.
Science Education
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether researchers from humanities disciplines focusing on public understanding of science and cultural studies of science will be supported by the funding increases announced in the paper Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004–14, published in July; and if he will make a statement. [188079]
Ms Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
As outlined in the Science and Innovation Investment Framework, the Government intends to increase the scale of its activities in advancing the Science and Society agenda. This includes activities to promote public confidence and engagement in science. Expenditure in this area will be supported through the Office of Science and Technology's Science and Society budget which will, overall, increase from £4.25 million per year in 2005–06 to over £9 million per year by 2006–07. Arts and humanities research clearly provide important theoretical and practical bases for public engagement with science and technology. Applications for financial support for researchers from the arts and humanities disciplines will be treated in the same way as those from the natural and social sciences.
Standard Spending Assessments
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average Standard Spending Assessment/formula spending share funding per head has been for all services in (a) England and (b) North Somerset in each year since 1997; and if he will estimate the sums that would be available for services in North Somerset if the average SSA/FSS funding per head were the same as the English average. [188659]
Mr. Miliband:
The DfES does not hold funding information for all services in England. The recurrent funding allocated by Government for education through SSA/FSS and grants in the DfES departmental expenditure limit for England and North Somerset is set out in the following table.
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1695W
The formula for the education formula spending share calculation comprises a basic entitlement for each pupil, which is the same across the country, plus a top-up for each pupil with additional educational needs, which is again the same across the country, plus top-ups
16 Sept 2004 : Column 1696W
for areas where it costs more to recruit and retain teachers. Local education authorities with a greater proportion of pupils with additional educational needs or higher average earnings will receive a higher level of funding per pupil.
| North Somerset (£ per pupil) | England (£ per pupil) | North Somerset | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSA/EFS | Grants | Total | SSA/EFS | Grants | Total | Estimated total (£ million) | |
| 1997–98 | 2,580 | 110 | 2,690 | 2,790 | 110 | 2,900 | 77.8 |
| 1998–99 | 2,670 | 80 | 2,760 | 2,900 | 60 | 2,950 | 80.2 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,740 | 150 | 2,890 | 2,950 | 130 | 3,080 | 84.4 |
| 2000–01 | 2,810 | 290 | 3,100 | 3,030 | 300 | 3,330 | 91.6 |
| 2001–02 | 2,820 | 370 | 3,190 | 3,080 | 410 | 3,490 | 98.1 |
| 2002–03 | 2,660 | 600 | 3,260 | 2,960 | 620 | 3,580 | 102.2 |
| 2003–04 | 2,800 | 600 | 3,400 | 3,100 | 610 | 3,710 | 107.5 |
| 2004–05 | 2,900 | 590 | 3,500 | 3,210 | 630 | 3,840 | 112.5 |
Notes:
1. The North Somerset estimated totals have been calculated by multiplying the England per pupil total for each year, by the total number of pupils aged three to 19 in North Somerset in the relevant year.
2. 2003–04 and 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited. Updates will be available in the autumn.
3. Figures reflect education standard spending assessment/education formula spending settlement (all sub-blocks), plus all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to EFS pupils aged three to 19.
4. Figures exclude education maintenance allowance, grants not allocated at LEA level and the pensions transfer to EFS and Learning and Skills Council for 2003–04 and 2004–05. For those LEAs in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004–05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004–05).
5. The pupil numbers used are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-olds maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
6. Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest £10.
7. Total figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.
8. 1997–98 figures for LEAs subject to local government reorganisation in that year have been estimated, pro-rata to their post LGR figures.
9. Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 June 2004.
Stored Publications
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many departmental publications are in storage; and where they are located. [183864]
Dr. Howells: The majority of Departmental publications are stored on sites managed by Prolog—the Department's storage and mailing contractor. There are currently 5,320 titles in storage, the majority of which are located in Nottingham.
The range of publications stored includes materials to support teaching staff in the delivery of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, former Department of Health publications that transferred to this Department as a result the Machinery of Government changes announced in June 2003 and titles in alternative formats, including ethnic languages, Braille, audio tape and large print.
We are working towards reducing the number of publications in storage. The Department has recently taken forward a programme of stock rationalisation in which overstocked and obsolete products were identified and recycled. We have also introduced a 'print on demand' facility, whereby low turnover items are stored electronically and only printed when requested.
Furthermore, we are in the process of rolling out an online ordering system for schools which allows head teachers to access print materials electronically and order them in the multiples they need when they need them.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |