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11 Oct 2004 : Column 18W—continued
Child Care
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate the Government has made of the average amount of money parents in England contribute to the cost of child care. [186863]
Margaret Hodge: A number of surveys of parents provide figures relating to the average amount parents pay for child care. Estimates differ depending on the methodology used.
According to the 'Repeat Survey of Parents Demand for Childcare' 1 , households paying for childcare were spending on average £40 a week on child care. Half of these families paid up to £21 per week and one-in-ten paid more than £100.
The 2002 Families and Children Study 2 shows that the median total weekly child care costs among all paying families where the mother works were £25 per week in term-time and £35 per week in holidays.
The Government recognise that making child care affordable is a key challenge for the National Childcare Strategy and has made a substantial investment to achieve this. Working parents, subject to the level of their income, may receive support through the child care element of the working tax credit. We are also introducing greater incentives for employers to support parents with the cost of child care from April 2005.
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Inland Revenue data on the child care costs of UK parents benefiting from the child care element of the working tax credit show that in April 2004 they had mean allowed weekly costs of £71.12 3 . As a result of this support, almost 318,000 working families in April 2004 were receiving an average of £49.66 per week towards their childcare costs.
In addition, all 3 and 4-year-olds are now entitled to free, part-time early education which guarantees each of them up to six terms of high quality provision before they reach statutory school age. This reduces the amount of child care that parents of children of this age have to pay for. Government also provides financial support to child care providers to help with start-up costs and sustainability, which will further reduce the costs that must be borne by parents.
1 Repeat Study of Parents' Demand for Childcare (2002), DfES. This is a nationally representative survey of the demand for child care among parents of children aged 14 and under in England. Interviews were achieved in 5,416 households and the survey was carried out between February and July 2001.
2 'Families and Children in Britain: Findings from the 2002 Families and Children Study' (2004). Research Report 206 DWP.
3 The figures on which this average is based are capped— i.e. parents who have costs above the £135/200 limits are assumed to have costs of £135/200 exactly (uncapped figures are not currently available).
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate the Government has made of how many registered child care places there were in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997. [189475]
Margaret Hodge: The information is not readily available in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Member when the information is at hand and will place a copy in the Library. The figures will be available by mid-October.
Children Bill
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of implementation of the Children Bill to (a) central Government and (b) local government. [189464]
Margaret Hodge: The Government produced an updated Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Children Bill on introduction in the Commons. This includes information on costs. A copy has been placed in the Library. Many of the measures in the Bill are about better and more effective ways of working and, in themselves, will not have any significant additional cost implications. However the Government will increase investment in children's services by almost £1 billion by 2007–08 compared with 2004–05. This will be used to start taking forward the reforms set out in Every Child Matters.
The Children's Commissioner is a new post. We will spend broadly £2.5 million a year on the Commissioner's Office (including on his functions). We estimate that this year the start up costs will be in the order of £100,000, including costs of recruiting.
The provisions for an information database and, if the Government were to decide to introduce one, a registration scheme for private fostering will clearly
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have cost implications. The extent of the costs will depend on how they are implemented. We will produce separate impact assessments and costing for these to go with the affirmative resolution regulations that would put the detail of implementation into legislation
Class Sizes
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) England and (ii) the North Somerset Local Education Authority in each year since 1997. [188660]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The requested information is given in the table.
| Average size of classes taught by one teacher(4) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Secondary(5) | |||
| North Somerset LEA | England | North Somerset LEA | England | |
| 1997 | 27.8 | 27.5 | 20.4 | 21.7 |
| 1998 | 28.4 | 27.7 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| 1999 | 28.5 | 27.4 | 21.7 | 21.9 |
| 2000 | 28.3 | 27.1 | 22.2 | 22.0 |
| 2001 | 27.7 | 26.7 | 22.1 | 22.0 |
| 2002 | 27.5 | 26.3 | 22.3 | 21.9 |
| 2003 | 27.8 | 26.3 | 22.2 | 21.9 |
| 2004 | 27.6 | 26.2 | 22.2 | 21.8 |
(3) Includes middle schools as deemed.
(4) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.
(5) For secondary schools, excludes sixth form colleges.
Source:
Annual Schools Census.
Criminal Records (Local Authority Staff)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what his policy is on local authorities employing (a) social workers and (b) others working with children who have criminal records; [188922]
(2) what guidance he has issued to social services departments regarding the employment of people after a Criminal Records Bureau check has revealed a conviction; [188923]
(3) what discussions he has had with Haringey Social Services Department about the employment of people with criminal records. [188924]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 14 September 2004]: The Secretary of State has not discussed the employment of people with criminal records with Haringey Social Services Department.
It is for all employers to reach their own judgments about a person's suitability to work with children and other vulnerable people taking account of the legal requirements and all the information available including, where appropriate, information from the Criminal Records Bureau. Where an individual has been found guilty of an offence against a child, the court will consider whether, under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000, the individual should be disqualified from working with children. Where an employer is notified that an individual has been
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disqualified by a court as a result of their conviction, the employer will be committing an offence if they employ the individual in a post working with children. Where any other conviction information is revealed, employers will naturally need to consider a number of issues including the nature and age of the conviction and its relevance to the post being applied for.
Dyslexia
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is in place to facilitate provision for dyslexic schoolchildren and students; and if he will make a statement on the implications for this provision of the introduction of disability legislation. [189096]
Margaret Hodge: Guidance on identifying and assessing special educational needs, including specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, is given in the SEN Code of Practice, to which schools and local education authorities must have regard. A range of material for teachers on dyslexia and dyscalculia has also been produced as part of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to help promote inclusion of pupils with specific learning difficulties. The guidance has been well received and other material is in preparation.
The Department continues to work closely with both the British Dyslexia Association and the Dyslexia Institute to help raise awareness and develop new resources that will be of practical assistance to teachers and other staff. For example, we have supported the production and dissemination of a dyslexia friendly schools pack and a handy hints poster for primary schools.
It is envisaged the provision of such materials and guidance will help schools meet their statutory duties under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 where pupils with dyslexia meet the DDA definition of having a disability.
"Bridging the gap: a guide to the Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs) in higher education" is a publication providing detailed information for students on DSA grants which are available to higher education students with a disability or a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia. The Department also has a dedicated webpage on our student support website for students with disabilities and learning difficulties. Further information is provided in our guide "Financial Support for Higher Education Students", a copy of which is sent to every student applying for student support.
The Department offers local education authorities strategic direction on policy and detailed guidance on the Statutory Instruments under which DSAs are paid.
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