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Swimming

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assistance is available to pupils from low-income families for swimming lessons; [222404]

(2) what initiatives her Department has undertaken since 2001 to promote swimming among school pupils; [222405]

(3) what the status of swimming is within the national curriculum. [222407]

Derek Twigg: Swimming and water safety is a compulsory part of the PE national curriculum at Key Stage 2. During key stages 3 and 4, schools must offer pupils two programmes of study from: swimming and water safety; athletics and; outdoor and adventurous activities.

Swimming also has a significant role to play within our national strategy for PE, School Sport and Club Links. Since 2001 we have:

created a new swimming and water safety website (www.nc.uk.net/safeswimming) which provides practical support for schools and swimming teachers;

published, in December 2003, a swimming charter, which sets out guidelines, shares best practice and provides practical support to help schools overcome many of the challenges they face when planning and delivering swimming; and

carried out a pilot programme which tested out how best to support those children who reach the end of Key Stage 2 and are not able to swim 25 metres.

We intend to implement this programme nationally from April 2006 and over £5 million of funding has been allocated to support the scheme in 2006–07 and 2007–08. We will be consulting shortly on what the detail of this programme might look like.

Furthermore, as part of its wider provision, the PE and school sport national professional development programme will help to improve the quality of swimming teaching throughout England. The programme will identify where there is most need and provide specific professional development and support to help ensure high quality swimming tuition in schools. Every school will be able to access this programme free of charge from April 2005.

As it is a statutory part of the national curriculum, no charge to parents can be made for the cost of providing swimming lessons, or for the cost of transport to carry pupils to and from the lesson. Schools can ask for voluntary contributions to cover the cost of swimming activities, but when requesting the contribution it must make it clear that no child will be treated differently, or left out of the activity, because their parent is unable or unwilling to make the contribution.

Teachers

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many full-time equivalent regular teachers there were in maintained schools in September 2004. [221591]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Information on the numbers of teachers in service is collected in January of each year.
 
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Provisional teacher numbers for January 2005 will be published in April 2005.

Figures for January 2004 were published in table 15 of the Statistics of Education, School Workforce in England, 2004 edition a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Alternatively this publication is available at the following URL:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/OL/v000554/index.shtml

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of employing a newly qualified teacher for their first year of work, including salary and pension contributions, is in the current financial year. [222161]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Currently there are four regional pay scales, inner London, outer London, fringe area and England and Wales (excluding the London area). Each of these pay scales has a different starting salary.

For the current financial year (April 4 to March 5 ), the starting salary of a newly qualified teacher in Inner London is £22,059. The corresponding on costs (national insurance and pension contributions) are 20.7 per cent. bringing the total cost to £26,625.

In outer London the starting salary is £20,862 and the incorporated on costs (national insurance and pension contributions) is 20.6 per cent. bringing the total cost to £25,155.

The starting salary for the fringe area is £19,449. The on costs (national insurance and pension contributions) are estimated to 20.4 per cent. bringing the total cost to £23,420.

For England and Wales (excluding the London area), a newly qualified teacher's salary is £18,558. The corresponding national insurance and pension contributions are estimated at 20.3 per cent. of bringing the total cost to £22,326.

These figures are for the first point of main pay spine for qualified classroom teachers and do not include allowances.

This information is based on data from the school teachers' pay and conditions document 2004 and on the 2004–05 Inland Revenue national insurance rates and thresholds.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made to the Government of China on human rights abuses in Kheetan Province; and if he will make a statement. [221449]

Mr. Rammell: There was a discussion on Xinjiang at the most recent round of the EU/China human rights dialogue held in Luxembourg in February 2005.
 
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The UK delegation visited Xinjiang in November 2003 as part of our biannual UK China human rights dialogue. There was a follow-up discussion on Xinjiang at the next round of the dialogue held in London on 13–14 May 2004.

We put forward a number of concerns about Xinjiang in connection with the most recent round of the dialogue, held in Beijing on 22 November 2004.

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised human rights during his trip to China in January 2005. I discussed human rights issues with Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui during my trip to China in October 2004.

Correspondence

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter dated 25 January from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding Darfur, reference: 1 85889/05. [221619]

Mr. MacShane: My hon. Friend the Minister for Africa (Chris Mullin) replied directly to Waging Peace" on 9 March and copied this reply to the hon. Member.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter dated 3 February from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding Miss S. Watson of Abu Dhabi. [221620]

Mr. Mullin: My right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean replied to the hon. Member on 10 March.

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter of 26 January 2005 from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent, reference 97610. [222513]

Mr. Alexander: UKvisas are continuing with their inquiries with our high commission in Kingston and hope to be able to offer a substantive reply to my hon. Friend shortly.

Cyprus

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial assistance has been given by (a) the Government and (b) the EU to the Northern Cyprus Administration in each of the last three years; and for what projects. [221545]

Mr. MacShane: The British Government have given no financial assistance to the Turkish Cypriot Administration.

Our high commission has funded a number of projects in north Cyprus all designed to help bring Turkish Cypriots closer to the EU, to encourage re-unification of the island and to make a future settlement less costly and easier to implement.

Most EU assistance still awaits agreement on the relevant regulation—details of projects undertaken in the interim may be obtained from the European Commission.
 
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Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Turkish Cypriots and (b) Turkish settlers living in northern Cyprus who work in the Republic of Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [221546]

Mr. MacShane: We have made no such estimate, although our understanding is that no mainland Turkish workers are permitted to work in the south. The issue of workers remains an important issue for clarification by the parties in the context of a comprehensive settlement.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a Minister from his Department has visited the closed area of Famagusta; and if he will make a statement. [221557]

Mr. MacShane: I visited Famagusta in October 2004 and saw the sad state of Varosha which has not been inhabited since 1974.

The closed area of Famagusta has not been part of recent visits to Cyprus by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers, although our high commissioner has visited, under the auspices of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the areas of northern Cyprus that (a) the British high commissioner to Cyprus and (b) senior officials at the high commission have visited in the last 12 months. [221572]

Mr. MacShane: It is not possible to list all the areas visited. Our high commissioner and his staff routinely visit northern Cyprus, in order to monitor and influence Turkish Cypriot opinion and to discharge consular and other duties wherever required.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed with the Turkish-Cypriot Administration in northern Cyprus its policy on bringing the closed area of Famagusta into use. [221574]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this issue with the Turkish-Cypriot Administration. However, our officials regularly discuss all aspects of the situation in Cyprus with Turkish Cypriot representatives.

We have also encouraged dialogue on these issues between the Turkish Cypriot leadership and the European Commission.

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