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PSA Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what recent assessment she has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that 50 per cent. of children reach a good level of development at the end of the Foundation Stage will be met by 2008; [219214]

(2) what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to improve children's communication, social and emotional development. [219216]

Margaret Hodge: The target for 50 per cent. of children to reach a good level of development was set in July 2004. It is based on the 2003 foundation stage profile (FSP) results and data from Sure Start local programmes. It is provisional as the 2003 FSP data were published as 'experimental statistics'. FSP data for 2004 will be published on 17 March, and for 2005 later this year. At this point we will be able to confirm the target and establish the baseline against which progress towards the target can be assessed.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training by two percentage points by 2010 will be met. [219218]

Margaret Hodge: We set this target to be challenging, but achievable. The Social Exclusion Unit's 1999 Bridging the Gap" report identified three important elements in reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training: an improved curriculum offer, appropriate financial support and high quality advice guidance and support focused on the needs of young people.

The strategies set out in the recent 14–19 Education and Skills White Paper, alongside the earlier Supporting Young People to Achieve" and Every Child Matters" publications, build on the good practice and progress that has been made since Bridging the Gap. This includes the success that Connexions has had in achieving its own target to reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training between 2002 and 2004. They will make sure we give the
 
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right tools and support to the statutory and voluntary services that work to prevent young people becoming disengaged and reengage them if necessary, giving a sound basis for meeting the target.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the public service agreement target for the level of education, training and employment outcomes of care leavers aged 19 to be at least 75 per cent. of those achieved by all young people in the same area by 2004 was met. [219263]

Margaret Hodge: The Department publishes progress against all its outstanding PSA targets in its annual departmental report and autumn performance report. Progress against our last spending review targets, including the one referred to in this question, was reported most recently in the 2004 autumn report, published last November, together with commentary where appropriate. A copy of the report is available from the House of Commons Library.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of progress towards the public service agreement target to narrow the gap between the proportions of children in care and their peers who are cautioned or convicted. [219265]

Margaret Hodge: The Department publishes progress against all its outstanding PSA targets in its annual departmental report and autumn performance report. Progress against our SR02 targets, including the one you refer to, was reported most recently in the 2004 autumn report, published in November, together with commentary where appropriate. Copies of the reports are available from the House of Commons Library.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the under-18 conception rate by 50 per cent. by 2010 will be met. [219266]

Margaret Hodge: Since 1998—the baseline year for the strategy—the England under-18 conception rate has fallen by 9.8 per cent. The 2010 PSA target is very challenging and achieving it will require sustained and strengthened implementation of the strategy at national and local level, involving a wide range of services, professionals, parents and young people. That is why we have written to local authority chief executives, asking them to strengthen delivery of local strategies in high rate neighbourhoods and on teenagers most at risk—50 per cent. of conceptions occur in the 20 per cent. of wards with the highest rates. Local areas have been given new data and analysis to help them to effectively target local strategies.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the stock of Ofsted-registered childcare by 10 per cent. by 2008 will be met. [219269]

Margaret Hodge: In order to monitor performance against this public service agreement target, the number of childcare places registered by Ofsted is monitored quarterly. The latest quarterly data ending December 2004 shows we have created over 64,000 registered
 
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childcare places since March 2004. We are therefore well on track to meet the target of increasing number by 10 per cent. by April 2008.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the take-up of formal childcare by lower income working families by 50 per cent. by 2008 will be met. [219270]

Margaret Hodge: My Department made an initial assessment in July 2004, when the public service agreement targets for April 2005 to March 2008 were set. This was based on evidence from the Department for Work and Pension's family resources survey. The target level of 50 per cent. will be confirmed once baseline data is confirmed in spring 2006.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the public service agreement target to introduce a successful light-touch childcare approval scheme by April 2005 will be met. [219271]

Margaret Hodge: The childcare approval scheme (CAS) was launched on 8 December 2004 and from 4 January 2005 carers have been able to apply for approval using application forms downloaded from the dedicated website or obtained via the CAS helpline. CAS has successfully met every milestone during implementation and will be fully operational from the target date of 6 April 2005. Any applications processed prior to 6 April 2005 will be valid from this date.

The first applicant to be approved was notified on 22 February 2005.

Teacher Salaries

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average salary for a secondary school teacher is in (a) England and (b) the Romford and Havering constituencies. [219375]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: In March 2003 the average salary for full time teachers in maintained secondary schools in England was £31,340. Salary information is not available at constituency level, however for Havering local education authority the figure was £34,560. This information is for all grades and includes all allowances.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China (Arms Embargo)

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he held with Ministers in EU member states about the lifting of the arms embargo with China; and if he will make a statement. [220360]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 7 March 2005]: The Government supported the decision of the European Council in December 2003 to review the EU Arms Embargo on China.
 
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Member states discussed the embargo at the European Council in December 2004 and invited the Luxembourg Presidency to take forward work on the review. The Council underlined that

the result of any decision should not be an increase of arms exports from EU Member States to China, neither in quantitative nor in qualitative terms".

EU leaders also recalled the importance of the criteria of the Code of Conduct on arms exports, in particular criteria regarding human rights, stability and security in the region and the national security of friendly and allied countries. Subject to satisfaction on these issues as laid out in the conclusions of the European Council, the Government could envisage embargo lift.

Until the review process is complete, the Government continue to implement the Arms Embargo as set out by the then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the late Derek Fatchett, in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 3 June 1998, Official Report, columns 240–41.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government held with representatives of the aerospace industry before the agreement by the EU to lift the arms embargo on China, with particular reference to the impact of the lifting of the embargo on the potential of the industry to do business with companies in the United States; and if he will make a statement. [220362]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 7 March 2005]: Government officials have informed representatives of the UK aerospace and defence industry of the EU's review of its arms embargo on China and of US attitudes towards this review. Officials informed industry of the resolution of the House of Representatives of 1 February on this arms embargo, and discussed with them the possible meaning of references to limitations and constraints" to transatlantic defence co-operation as mentioned in that resolution.

The US has a legitimate and understandable interest both in the effectiveness of the EU's system of arms control and in the stability of the East Asian region. We have to do our very best to address US concerns and reassure them on the effectiveness of the EU Code of Conduct. The latter, and not the embargo, is the key to controlling EU arms exports to China.

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