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EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Leonardo da Vinci Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [216284]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Leonardo da Vinci programme Committee met twice during the Italian presidency on 17 September 2003 and 17–18 November 2003. It met twice during the Irish presidency on13 February 2004 and 26 April 2004 and three times during the Dutch presidency on 17 September 2004, 11 November 2004 and 16 December 2004. All the meetings were held in Brussels apart from the last of the Dutch presidency which was held in Maastricht. The meetings were attended by officials from the joint international unit of my Department and the Department for Work and Pensions.

I refer the hon. Member to the series of Command Papers on the prospects for the EU—Cm6174 laid in April 2004, Cm6310 laid in September 2004 and Cm6450 laid in February 2005, which cover the periods of the above presidencies and are available on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee for the implementation of the community action programme concerning co-operation policy in the youth field, including European voluntary service and youth exchanges within the community and with third countries (YOUTH), met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [217247]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The YOUTH programme committee met once in each of the Italian, Irish and Dutch presidencies. The meetings took place on 5 December 2003, 22 June 2004 and 15 October 2004 and all were held in Brussels. The meetings were attended by an official from the joint international unit of my Department and the Department for Work and Pensions and by a representative of the UK National Agency.

I refer the hon. Member to the series of Command Papers on the prospects for the EU—Cm6174 laid in April 2004, Cm6310 laid in September 2004 and
 
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Cm6450 laid in February 2005, which cover the periods of the above presidencies and are available on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the advisory committee on medical training met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [215924]

Mr. Hutton: I have been asked to reply.

The advisory committee on medical training was set up to advise the European Commission and member states on matters relating to the training of workers whose professions come under sectoral directives guaranteeing free movement and automatic recognition of qualifications.

The advisory committees have not met during the last three years and are not likely to do so again.

Marriage and Relationship Support

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding her Department has made available for (a) marriage and relationship support agencies and (b) parenting and family agencies in each year since 1997; how many (i)marriage and relationship support agencies and (ii)parenting and family agencies have received such funding in each year since 1997, broken down by agency; and if she will make a statement. [214783]

Margaret Hodge: As a result of the machinery of Government changes in June 2003, responsibility for marriage and relationship support policy and funding transferred to DfES from the Department for Constitutional Affairs, previously the Lord Chancellor's Department; and responsibility for parenting and family support policy and funding transferred to DfES from the Home Office.

In 2003–04 the DfES made £14.9 million available to voluntary and community sector organisations specialising in marriage and relationship support and/or parenting and family support. This has been distributed as follows:

Programme	Grants	Budget (£)
Marriage and relationship support grant	44 Projects delivered	5.0
Parenting and family support	125 grants, 132 projects	9.4

In 2004–05, the DfES made £24.9 million available to voluntary and community sector organisations specialising in marriage and relationship support and/or parenting and family support. This has been distributed as follows:

Programme	Grants	Budget (£)
Marriage and relationship support grant	33 Organisations to deliver 42 projects	4.9
Parenting and family support	100 grants; 139 projects	20

 
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Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding is available in 2004–05 to couples for relationship counselling (a) within marriage, (b) outside marriage and (c) where there are children in the relationship; and if she will make a statement. [214784]

Margaret Hodge: The Marriage and Relationship Support Grant (MARS) has provided funding of £4.9 million in 2004–05 to voluntary and community sector groups specialising in the provision of help, advice and information to support people to maintain successful relationships with their partners. The MARS Grant does not directly fund the provision of counselling services. It is used for work to prevent relationship problems and so to provide a stable environment for any children in the family.

The MARS Grant has now been amalgamated with the former Family Support Grant to form the Strengthening Families Grant. The same amount of money is available for relationship support. Adult relationship support services remain an important and integral element of the range of family support services funded by the Department.

Ministerial Stationery

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997. [214938]

Derek Twigg: The cost of official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips comes out of the general stationery budget and we do not have a breakdown for these individual items. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Offenders' Learning and Skills Service

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the creation of the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service will affect offender learning provision in Wales. [214990]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The new arrangements for offender learning and skills in Wales (and in England) will make the provision for offender learners considerably better. An early focus on advice, guidance and assessment will secure a tightly focused Individual Learning Plan that will accompany the offender learner through the Criminal Justice System. The Plan will ensure that learning needs continue to be met as he or she passes through the System's principal points of transition.

We will substantially enhance offender learners' chances of employment on release—and successful resettlement—through significantly greater planning and co-ordinated funding of learning. A particular focus on the needs of the labour market will make the provision much more relevant to the needs of employers.

The new learning offer is described in The Offender's Learning Journey". I have arranged for a copy of this document to be placed in the Library.
 
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Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the projected budget for the offenders' learning and skills service is for the next three years; and what ring-fencing of these budgets will take place. [214991]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This Department currently has a ring-fenced budget for offenders' learning and skills of £152.5 million for each of the years 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08.

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