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18 Oct 2004 : Column 530W—continued
Correspondence
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon, dated 14 July, concerning the funding of grammar schools. [192381]
Mr. Miliband: A response has been issued today.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much his Department spent on replacing light bulbs in the last year for which figures are available. [186679]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: During 2003–04 my Department spent approximately £19,000 on lighting expenditure including contractors fees, the cost of replacement bulbs and the cost of bulbs used in the installation of new lighting systems.
Disabled People
Mr. Goodman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what arrangements he has in place
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for monitoring statistics concerning the (a) numbers and (b) needs of disabled people and if he will make a statement. [182881]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: My Department remains fully committed to the work we are all taking forward across Government to improve the rights of disabled people. Clearly education plays an important part in removing the barriers to participation in society and we will continue to ensure that it does so.
As part of the performance management arrangements on children's social services departments, DfES have this year introduced a revised performance indicator on disabled children. The new definition from April 2004 is:
"The number of disabled children receiving services in the census week which support them either in their families or to live independently, as a percentage of the estimated total population of disabled children in the council area."
The number of disabled children receiving a service is taken from the Children in Need Census returns, while the population of disabled children in the council area is estimated from the 2001 Census data on children with a limiting long standing illness or disability.
The numbers of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are collected through the Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC). All maintained schools and non-maintained special schools, City Technology Colleges and Academies are asked to record pupils with statements of SEN, pupils at School Action and those at School Action Plus. In January 2004 data on type of need was collected for the first time for pupils at School Action Plus and those with statements of SEN. Schools were asked to use one of 11 categories, plus other, to record pupils' greatest or primary need and also their secondary need. Guidance was issued to all schools describing each type of need. Data is published on the DfES website and in the annual statistics bulletin for Special Educational Needs.
Connexions Partnerships are required to undertake a comprehensive assessment of needs for all young people in their area.
Statistics on the numbers of learners with disabilities in post-16 education and training are collected by the Learning and Skills Council through the individualised learner record and other data collections, the latter covers both schools data and data on specialist colleges. The LSC has commissioned mapping of provision for learners with disabilities at both a national and a local level as part of its remit for planning effective post-16 learning provision to meet the needs of this group.
Information on HE students who are disabled is collected annually from all HE institutions in the UK by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The statistics collected are based on the number of students who consider themselves as disabled (based on self reporting) and the number who receive Disabled Student Allowance (DSA).
Exhibition Construction Companies
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many exhibition construction companies have appealed to industrial tribunals seeking exemption from the Construction Industry Training Board Levy; and what the results were. [187470]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: Between 1965 and 1998 three exhibition construction companies appealed to a tribunal. In two cases the appeals were successful as the tribunals decided that the employers' main activity was not the erection or dismantling of exhibition stands. The third case concerned the amount of the levy assessment and the appeal was lost because the employer failed to show why a lower assessment should have been made.
Since 1999 a small number of employers initiated appeals but they were withdrawn before a hearing began.
Formula Spending Share
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much his Department will spend per school pupil in each local education authority area this year. [183442]
Mr. Miliband: The table sets out the level of Government allocation through the Education Formula Spending system, based on number of pupils and additional needs, plus Government funding through grants relevant to pupils aged 3–15.
Notes:
1. 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited. Updates will be available in the Autumn.
2. Figures reflect the Education Formula Spending settlement (all sub-blocks), plus all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to EFS pupils aged 3–15.
3. Figures exclude Education Maintenance Allowance and grants not allocated at LEA level and the pensions transfer to EFS and Learning and Skills Council for 2004–05.
4. The pupil numbers used are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3 year olds maintained pupils and estimated 3–4 year olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
5. Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and are provided in cash terms.
Source:
The Unit Funding Model 2004–05
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