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26 Jan 2005 : Column 350W—continued
Secondment
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the people working within his Department on secondment from the private sector, broken down by (a) the organisation or industry they came from and (b) the policy responsibilities they have been given. [208622]
Charlotte Atkins: The information requested is as follows:
Single-hulled Tankers
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ban single-hulled tankers from operating in UK coastal waters; and if he will make a statement. [208686]
Mr. Jamieson: The UK has played a key role in both the International Maritime Organisation (MO) and the EU in negotiating an acceleration of a programme to phase out single hull tankers from world trade, while ensuring continuity of energy supply. The IMO has recently agreed to an accelerated programme, under which the large majority of single hull tankers will have been phased out by the end of 2010. Single hull tankers which will be under 25 years of age at the end of 2010 will be allowed to continue in service until the end of 2015, or on reaching age 25 if earlier, but only if they first pass a rigorous assessment of their condition. Based on the IMO agreement, there is a EU Regulation, now in force, which prohibits single hull tankers entering or leaving EU ports and anchorages when carrying heavy grades of oil as cargo.
The United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, to which the UK acceded in 1997, gives rights of innocent passage though territorial waters for ships
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which comply with internationally agreed standards governing their construction and use, which includes single hull tankers which have yet to reach their phase out date. Secretary of State has no powers to curtail such rights, which benefit UK ships when participating in world trade.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Child Abuse
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what duties are placed on (a) headmasters and (b) governors of independent schools to report suspicions of child abuse by members of staff. [210441]
Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 24 January 2005]: The duty to report suspicions of child abuse by members of staff in independent schools is placed on proprietors rather than head teachers and governors. Proprietors are required to make a report to my Department when they have ceased to use a person's services, or when a person has ceased to provide their services, on grounds that they are unsuitable to work with children, on grounds of misconduct, or on grounds relating to the person's health where issues are raised about the safety or welfare of children.
Proprietors of independent schools have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at their school and must ensure that their school has procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against staff which comply with locally agreed inter-agency procedures.
Childminders
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) registered childminders and (b) registered childminder places were available in 2004. [210747]
Margaret Hodge: At 31 December 2004 the numbers of registered childminders and registered childminder places in England were 71,000 and 318,100 respectively.
Statistics on the number of childcare places registered in England were published on 19 January 2005 in a report by Ofsted Registered Childcare Providers and Places in England, 31 December 2004". The report is available on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications.
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) childminders and (b) childminder places were registered in Stoke-on-Trent in 2004. [210860]
Margaret Hodge: At 31 December 2004 the numbers of registered childminders and registered childminder places in Stoke on Trent local education authority area were 300 and 1,300 respectively.
Statistics on the number of child care places registered in England were published on 19 January 2005 in a report by Ofsted Registered Childcare Providers and Places in England, 31 December 2004". The report is available on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications.
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Departmental Staff
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of her Department's staff is based in London. [208036]
Derek Twigg: Information on regional distribution of staff is available in the Libraries of both Houses, and also at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical_information/statistics/contents_ for_civil_service_statistics_2003_report/index.asp
Table D shows the numbers of staff by regional distribution. Figures relating to 1 April 2004 are due to be published during February 2005.
DES/EU Co-operation
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on the supporting, co-ordinating and complementary action that may be taken by the EU in the field of vocational training under article I-17 of the proposed EU constitution. [209585]
Dr. Howells: None. The Treaty has not yet been ratified by the United Kingdom and several other member states and is therefore not yet in force.
Education Funding
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on (a) higher and (b) further education in Stoke on Trent in each year since 1997. [209911]
Dr. Howells: Public funding for Staffordshire university from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is shown in the first table.
(1) HEFCE is not able to provide data on funding allocated in respect of students ordinarily resident in Stoke on Trent.
2 HEFCE data is provided for Staffordshire university and its partner colleges in the Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF), who are funded by HEFCE through the university. The figures therefore include funding not just for Staffordshire university's Stoke campus and Stoke-on-Trent College, but for the university's other campuses in Stafford and Lichfield and its various partner FE Colleges across Staffordshire and Shropshire. We are not able to disaggregate funding for these constituent parts as the university and its partners are funded as a single entity through a block grant.
3 Funding figures show HEFCE recurrent grant for teaching and research only. They exclude other HEFCE grants such as for capital and other special initiatives. They also exclude funding from other public sources, such as the NHS, TTA, LSC, research councils etc.
4 Constituent parts may not add to total due to rounding.
5 Funding for rewarding and developing staff was first allocated for 2001–02 and transferred into teaching grant in 2004–05.
Source:
HEFCE
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In addition HEFCE provided £549,987 of recurrent funding for teaching to Stoke on Trent college in 1999–2000. From 2000–01 onwards this was transferred to the HE provision for Staffordshire university.
Data on public expenditure paid to students at Staffordshire university and Stoke on Trent college by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in respect of grants, income-contingent loan cash outlay, and tuition fees for academic years 1999/2000 to 2004/05 (provisional) are shown in the second table. Data are not available at the level requested prior to academic year 1999/2000.
(2) Up to and including academic year 2003/04, data on grant expenditure for student support scheme students relates to additional allowances/grants available to eligible students for extra help depending on their circumstances, e.g. students with disabilities, students with dependents, single parent students, those incurring certain travel costs, and those who have recently left care. In addition, data for 2004/05 include expenditure on the Higher Education grant which was introduced for new students in 2004/05 to help cover the cost of participating in Higher Education.
(3) Students domiciled in England and Wales.
(4) Students domiciled in England, Wales and the EU.
(5) Data also include planned expenditure.
(6) Provisional (as at 19 January 2005)
Data on public expenditure for mortgage style loans, hardship loans, part-time fee grants and part-time course grants are not readily available at the level requested. I will include details of these expenditures in the House of Commons Library when available.
Data on discretionary funding at Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF) are shown in the third table.
n/a = not applicable.
(7) Data include funding for Staffordshire university's Stoke campus, Stoke-on-Trent college and the university's other campuses in Stafford and Litchfield and its various partner FE colleges, all of which are funded by HEFCE through the university.
(8) As lead institution, Staffordshire university receive discretionary funding for all of the members of the consortium and the consortium decide how the allocation is administered.
(9) From 2003/04 administration funding was paid as an integral part of the Access to Learning Fund allocation.
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There are two Further Education colleges located within the parliamentary constituency of Stoke on Trent Central, namely Stoke on Trent college and the City of Stoke on Trent sixth form college. Public funding for these from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and its predecessor the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) is shown in the fourth table.
Notes:
1. These figures represent allocations of funding for FE provision that was actually paid (but may have been adjusted subsequently for under or over performance) and do not include any non-FE funding that the colleges may have received.
2. The LSC was established in April 2001 and prior to that the FE sector was administered by the FEFC.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the real-term funding guarantee for (a) school sixth forms, (b) sixth form colleges and (c) further education colleges is in the 2004–05 financial year; and if she will make a statement. [210750]
Dr. Howells: In the academic year 2004/05, the Learning and Skills Council increased its funding rates by 4 per cent. for school sixth forms, in line with the per pupil guarantee funding increase for schools. Funding rates for sixth form colleges and further education colleges meeting their targets increased by 5 per cent. in 2004/05.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will instruct the Learning and Skills Council to fund school sixth forms and further education colleges at the same level for capital investment projects. [210751]
Dr. Howells: Capital funding for school sixth forms is part of the devolved funding for schools which the local education authority administers.
Capital funding for further education colleges is the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) which has sole discretion in how and where it allocates capital support.
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In our five-year strategy we set out plans to establish a new 16–19 capital fund combining school and further education resources to support coherent investment in new 16–19 provision.
The fund is expected to come into effect from 2006–07, and will be administered by the LSC.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the level of funding available to further education colleges to implement the Increased Flexibility Programme for 14 to 16-year-olds. [210756]
Dr. Howells: The Department allocates funding to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to deliver the Increased Flexibility Programme. Funding of up to £100,000 per partnership has been made available to support activity in 2004–06. The allocation of funding is decided locally between the partners.
The Department has not assessed the funding available to partnerships to implement the Increased Flexibility Programme, but the LSC has commissioned a study into this. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with details of the study. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the per capita funding for 16 to 18 year olds in Stoke-on-Trent was in (a) school sixth forms, (b) the sixth form college and (c) other further education colleges in each of the past five years. [210863]
Dr. Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-six learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council. The Department does not collect information on the level of per capita funding for 16 to 18 year olds in school sixth forms and sixth form and further education colleges at the local level. Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive will write to the hon. Member with details of the level of per capita funding for 16 to 18 year olds in (a) school sixth forms (b) sixth form colleges and (c) further education colleges in each of the past five years in the Stoke-on-Trent area. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.
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