| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 Nov 2004 : Column 2143W—continued
Labour Market Participation
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the participation of Muslim women in the labour market. [198379]
Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
Labour Force Survey Spring 2004 1 data shows 34 per cent. of Muslim women are active in the labour market compared with 73 per cent. of all women. We have a strategy in place to help disadvantaged ethnic minority groups improve their access to employment, including those from Muslim communities, and this is being taken forward by the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force.
Muslim women have access to the full range of help offered by Jobcentre Plus both mainstream programmes and specific measures, such as Ethnic Minority Outreach, to help attract and support those facing significant barriers to work.
We are undertaking research to improve our understanding of the problems faced by ethnic minorities in getting jobs. Current research projects include a survey of the barriers faced by inactive and unemployed Pakistani and Bangladeshi people, both men and women.
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will require the Learning and Skills Council to make payments to higher education colleges to cover the costs of interest and bank charges arising from late payments of Learning and Skills Council funds; [198516]
(2) what assurance he has sought from the Learning and Skills Council that higher education college funding will be allocated on time for financial year 2005–06. [198517]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for the planning and funding of post-16 learning and it is for the LSC to agree funding arrangements with higher education colleges. As the information requested relates to the LSC's operational responsibilities, the LSC's chief executive, Mark Haysom, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
18 Nov 2004 : Column 2144W
We are in regular dialogue with the LSC as it progresses its planning and funding arrangements with colleges and providers. As planning and funding allocations are the operational responsibilities of the LSC, Mark Haysom, will write to the hon. Member with information on the timetable and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
Literacy
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has held with the Chancellor on improving financial literacy in areas of economic deprivation; and if he will make a statement. [198748]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There have been no recent discussions between the Chancellor and the Secretary of State on improving financial literacy in areas of economic deprivation.
However DfES has been working with HM Treasury on the Community Finance and Learning Initiative (CFLI) and Savings Gateway pilots. The outcomes of the CFLI pilots will be published shortly. The Savings Gateway pilot will finish shortly, with the evaluation due in spring 2005.
The Department is also funding a financial literacy project as part of "Skills for Life", the national strategy to improve adult literacy and numeracy skills. This has included the development of a range of financial literacy teaching and learning resources and guides, as well as trialling innovative methods of delivery and developing local partnerships between tutors and the advice sector. The Department is working closely with the Financial Services Authority to ensure its work supports the National Financial Capability Strategy.
In addition, personal finance education is covered in the national curriculum as part of personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship education. The curriculum for citizenship (introduced as a statutory subject in secondary schools in 2002) provides the opportunity for teaching about the economy, business and enterprise. The Department published guidance for teachers, "Financial Capability through Personal Financial Education", in 2000.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will ensure that the sparsity factor in local education authority grant funding for 2005–06 will take account of (a) the costs to schools
18 Nov 2004 : Column 2145W
of the workforce reform agenda, (b) the number of small schools in a local education authority, (c) broadband connection costs and (d) the cost of school transport. [199120]
Mr. Miliband: The calculation of Education Formula Spending Share includes a factor for sparsity in both the primary sub-block, recognising the higher costs of maintaining small schools, and in the LEA block, recognising the higher costs of transport in sparse areas.
We intend that the sparsity factor in the primary sub-block be enhanced in 2005–06 to reflect the slightly higher costs faced by small schools due to workforce reform (although the smallest School Standards Grant band has been increased in 2005–06 as the main way of dealing with the higher costs of workforce reform for small schools).
The sparsity factor is already designed to take into account the fact that sparse areas have a greater proportion of small primary schools and that these small schools will face higher running costs, including broadband connection costs, and that sparse areas face higher transport costs.
Medicine
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have been admitted to university to read medicine on courses which lead to registration as doctors with (a) less than three Bs at A level and (b) less than three Cs at A level as a result of widening participation schemes in each of the last five years. [198255]
Dr. Howells: Admission of students to medical, and other, courses is a matter for individual institutions. The main scheme for widening participation is Aimhigher which aims to raise the attainment levels of young people, their aspirations towards university, and improve progression. Most activities are not subject-specific, although some locally arranged activities are designed to raise awareness of and encourage progression to specific subjects such as medicine. Aimhigher does not include the delivery of degree or other higher education programmes. Information on the pre-entry qualifications of students entering first-degree courses in medicine is, however, provided in the following table.
(96) Including students with less than 3 Cs.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
18 Nov 2004 : Column 2146W
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many schools are taking part in widening participation schemes for entry to university to read medicine; [198256]
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of programmes for widening participation in the study of medicine at university; [198400]
(3) which universities (a) offer and (b) plan to offer extended medical degree programmes or their equivalent for students seeking to study medicine with a view to registration as a doctor under the Government's widening participation schemes; [198401]
(4) how many students have been admitted to universities this year to read medicine under widening participation schemes; and what estimate he has made of the number of students who will be admitted in each of the next five years. [198402]
Dr. Howells: The Government's aim is that everyone with the potential to benefit from higher education should have an opportunity to do so. The main scheme for widening participation is Aimhigher, a programme jointly funded by the Department for Education and Skills, the Learning and Skills Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Since August 2004, Aimhigher has been a national programme, operating most intensively in disadvantaged areas.
Aimhigher aims to raise the attainment levels of young people, their aspirations towards university, and improve progression. Most activities are not subject specific, although some locally arranged activities are designed to raise awareness of and encourage progression to specific subjects such as medicine. The Department does not collect information on the exact nature of locally arranged activities, their cost, or the number of schools involved. Aimhigher does not include the delivery of degree or other higher education programmes.
Foundation Years may contribute to the widening participation activities undertaken by universities. Foundation Years in medicine are designed to assist potential students to gain the knowledge and learning skills needed for degree study, including allowing students with good grades in non-science subjects to study the basic science needed to start a medical degree course. Information on the number of students who have entered a degree programme in medicine having completed a foundation year is not available.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |