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CABINET OFFICE

Cameras

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what his policy is on permitting staff to take cameras into (a) 10 Downing street and (b) the Cabinet Office; [222365]

(2) what his policy is on permitting staff to take mobile telephones which have built-in camera facilities into (a) 10 Downing street and (b) the Cabinet Office; [222366]

(3) how many instances there have been of (a) Downing street and (b) Cabinet Office staff being refused permission to bring (i) cameras and (ii) camera-enabled mobile phones into their respective workplaces, in each of the last three years. [222367]

Mr. Miliband: Staff from both the Cabinet Office and 10 Downing street (Prime Minister's Office) may bring a camera and/or camera phone into the estate but may only use them to take photographs with prior permission from the relevant security section. All staff
 
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are aware of, and regularly reminded of, departmental security policy which is rigorously enforced. As staff are allowed to bring cameras and/or camera phones into the estate, but are not allowed to use them within the premises, we do not maintain any records of staff being refused permission to bring them into their respective workplaces.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Alderman Knight School

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects the schools adjudicator to announce his decision on the future of Alderman Knight school, Tewkesbury; and if she will make a statement. [222521]

Margaret Hodge: Schools adjudicators are independent of the Department. The timing of an announcement of an adjudicator's decision is a matter for the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

Bullying

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will develop a strategy of zero tolerance of violence and intimidation directed at young people. [222703]

Derek Twigg: The Government already has a zero tolerance" approach to violence in schools and takes this issue very seriously. We have made it clear that head teachers may permanently exclude pupils for violence even where this is a first offence. We are working to create a climate in which all violence is recognised as intolerable. To achieve that, we:

are giving every secondary school access to high-quality behaviour management training materials and expert advice from behaviour management consultants;

are providing extra support for schools facing the greatest challenges through our Behaviour Improvement Programme;

have provided £120 million for school security improvements since 1997;

have based over 300 police officers in schools;

are developing specific violence prevention materials through our Violence Reduction in Schools project; and

are consulting on new proposals on keeping knives out of schools, including searching suspect pupils.

These measures will enable schools to tackle the problems that may lead to an escalation to violence and they will make schools even safer for children and staff.

In the main schools are very safe places. Instances of violence are far less frequent than on the streets and in the home. Staff and pupils report fewer concerns about violence than in other European countries.

Diploma in Medicine

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many students have enrolled for higher education courses in England leading to a diploma in medicine in (a) September and (b) February in each academic year since September
 
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1998; and how many of each semester's cohort (i) started the second year of studies, (ii) started the third year of studies, (iii) qualified and (iv) registered; [219798]

(2) how many students have enrolled for courses leading to a diploma in nursing at (a) Luton university and (b) the university of Hertfordshire in each semester since September 1998; and how many from each semester's intake (i) started the second year, (ii) started the third year, (iii) qualified and (iv) registered. [219799]

Dr. Howells: This information is not held centrally. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publish completion rates of students on full-time undergraduate courses in Performance Indicators in Higher Education", but these are not calculated for individual subjects, or courses.

Education Funding

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice she has received from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) on research conducted for the LSC by the Learning and Skills Development Agency on the size of the funding gap between sixth forms and further education colleges. [222158]

Dr. Howells: None. The report has not been published yet, and we have yet to consider the analysis or the report's conclusions.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects further to reduce the funding gap between school sixth forms and further education colleges in South West Bedfordshire. [222176]

Dr. Howells: Government recognise that there are differences in the funding allocated to school sixth forms and further education colleges and have taken action to address this. We have brought up funding levels for further education colleges as we said we would without penalising schools. Our policy has been to continue to bring up the level of funding for colleges, as and when we are able to secure the resources to do so.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been provided in the 2004–05 financial year to (a) school sixth forms and (b) further education colleges to assist them in covering teachers' pension costs. [222722]

Dr. Howells: The Department does not separately allocate funds to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for school sixth form and further education college pension costs. We expect schools and colleges to meet staffing costs from funds they receive from the LSC and other sources. The LSC funding includes provision for changes to the Teachers Pensions Scheme in 2003.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding is withdrawn from (a) school sixth forms and (b) further education colleges when a student leaves a level 3 course mid-term; and if she will make a statement. [222723]

Dr. Howells: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding school sixth forms and further education providers. As matters concerning the funding impact of retention relate to the LSC's operational responsibilities, Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief
 
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executive, will write to the hon. Member providing the information requested. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much an average school sixth form received as part of the real-terms annual funding guarantee in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05; and what the allocation will be in 2005–06. [222724]

Dr. Howells: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding school sixth forms including the operation of our guarantee that, provided pupil numbers are maintained, no school will lose out in real terms as a result of the transfer of funding responsibility to the LSC. As matters concerning the operation of the real terms guarantee relate to the LSC's operational responsibilities, Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member providing the information requested. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 279W, on further education, to the hon. Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis), what proportion of the funding gap between school sixth forms and further education colleges is due to (a) base funding rates, (b) the annual real-terms funding guarantee, (c) differing funding of institutions when students drop-out, (d) the funding of teachers' pensions, (e) the differential in standards funds, (f) VAT which is able to be reclaimed and (g) costs of maintaining buildings and funding capital projects. [222725]

Dr. Howells: As stated in the answer of 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 279W, on further education (FE), to the hon. Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis), the main measure the Department has used to identify the funding gap is the difference in Learning and Skills Council national base funding rates for an AS/A2 qualification at 2002/03, and the comparative increases since.

I recognise that there is more to overall levels of funding than differences in funding rates and I acknowledge that there are other important differences between school and FE funding. This is a complex area and there is currently no reliable like-for-like comparison between schools and colleges. As part of its agenda for change the LSC is currently reviewing the funding systems and will be consulting later in the year.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much schools in Tamworth have received under the new deal for schools. [221939]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Staffordshire LEA was granted the following amounts under the four phases of NDS: NDS1 1997–98: £1.387 million; NDS2 1998–99 £3.975 million; NDS3 1999–2000 £5.541 million; and NDS4 2000–2001 £10.225 million. No figures are held centrally for Tamworth schools for NDS1. Tamworth schools were allocated £252, 846 for NDS2; £2,231,229 for NDS3; and £5,327,046 for NDS4. This information was recorded centrally and local authorities' allocation of resources may differ from this.
 
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