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21 Dec 2004 : Column 1700W—continued
Literacy/Numeracy
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2004, Official Report, column 775W, on literacy and numeracy, what percentage of (a) Key Stage 2 pupils and (b) Key Stage 3 pupils reached the required standards in (i) literacy, (ii) numeracy and (iii) literacy and numeracy in each year since 1997 in (A) Haltemprice and Howden and (B) England. [205441]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The percentage of Key Stage 2 pupils achieving level 4 or above in English and mathematics for 1997–2003 are as follows:
(42) The English and mathematics combined information for Haltemprice and Howden are different to the other results as they are pupil-residency based and are only available from 2002 onwards as this is when PLASC data first became available to use.
Figures for 2004 by parliamentary constituency are not yet available, but will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.
The percentage of Key Stage 3 pupils achieving level 5 or above in English and mathematics for 1997–2003 are as follows:
(43) The English and mathematics combined information for Haltemprice and Howden are different to the other results as they are pupil-residency based and are only available from 2002 onwards as this is when PLASC data first became available to use.
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KS3 2004 figures will be made available soon after publication of the KS3 Attainment and Achievement Tables (March 2005).
Motoring Offences
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of drivers involved in fatal traffic accidents were (a) uninsured and (b) driving a car that did not have a valid MOT in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) gender and (ii) police authority region. [204720]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not available.
OECD Programme for International Student Assessment
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what reason she has adduced for the decline in Britain's place from eighth to eighteenth in the league table under the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment in respect of mathematics; [206799]
(2) what reason she has adduced for the decline in Britain's place from seventh to eleventh in the league table under the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment in respect of reading; [206800]
(3) what reason she has adduced for the decline in Britain's place from fourth to eleventh in the league table under the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment in respect of science. [206801]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: It is the view of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the body overseeing the running of PISA, that the data for the United Kingdom from the 2003 study cannot be reliably compared with other countries' scores or with UK PISA results from 2000. It would therefore not be appropriate to try to construct rankings for the UK against the advice of the OECD, still less to draw conclusions from doing so.
Parliamentary Questions
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997–98 to 2003–04. [202554]
Derek Twigg: Departments aim to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and to endeavour to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. Unfortunately, this is not always possible but this Department makes every effort to achieve these timescales.
Information for named day questions for parliamentary sessions since 2001 is set out in the following table. Information for ordinary written questions and for sessions previous to 2001 could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
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Partnership for Schools
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the relationship is between his Department and Partnerships for Schools; and who the members of the board of Partnerships for Schools are. [204395]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Partnerships for Schools is an Executive NDPB of the DfES. It is a company limited by shares wholly owned by the Secretary of State and is co-financed and co-managed under a joint venture agreement between DfES and Partnerships UK.
Its board members are Peter Stanton-Ife and Stephen Crowne.
Prison Education
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what courses are available for prisoners wishing to pursue education above level three. [206704]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Offenders in custody can enrol with the Open University to pursue higher education courses.
Since 2002, we have provided £728,000 working with the Prisoners' Education Trust to support undergraduate students on Open University courses and to support the introduction of new "Openings" courses, which provide access to HE courses for those without suitable prior qualifications. The scheme is supporting 1,100 students in the current year.
Public Bodies
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are employed by the (a) Union Learning Fund, (b) Adult Learning Inspectorate, (c) Well Being Project, (d) National College of School Leadership, (e) Sector Skills Development Agency and (f) Implementation Review Unit; what the running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the future of each body. [203745]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The information requested is listed as follows:
The Union Learning Fund is a source of funding not a body or unit. It does not employ any staff.
Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI)
(a) At 31 March 2004, the ALI employed 247.8 staff on a full time equivalent basis.
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(b) The most recent published accounts for the ALI are for 2003–04, in which the running costs of the body were £27.81 million.
(c) We keep the ALI under review, in accordance with Government guidelines, to ensure that its functions are still required and that the Inspectorate still provides the most effective means of carrying out those functions.
The Well-Being Project Pilot in London is run by Worklife Support which is part of the Teacher Support Network and not the Department for Education and Skills.
National College for School Leadership (NCSL)
(a) At 6 December 2004, the NCSL employed 237.3 staff on a full-time equivalent basis.
(b) The most recent published accounts for the NCSL are for 2003–04, in which the running costs of the body were £13.1 million.
(c) A recent review has confirmed that the NCSL should remain in being.
Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA)
(a) At 31 March 2004 the SSDA employed 65 staff on a full-time equivalent basis
(b) The most recent published accounts for the SSDA are for the 2003–04 financial year, in which the administrative costs of the body were £4.93 million.
(c) We keep the SSDA under review, in accordance with Government guidelines, to ensure that its functions are still required and that the SSDA still provides the most effective means of carrying out those functions.
Implementation Review Unit (IRU)
(a) The IRU does not employ any staff. Secretariat services are provided by Department for Education and Skills staff and one LEA adviser.
(b) The IRU's running costs for the 2003–04 financial year were £348,967.
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(c) We keep the IRU under review, in accordance with Government guidelines, to ensure that its functions are still required and that the IRU still provides the most effective means of carrying out those functions.
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