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27 Jun 2005 : Column 1221W—continued

Paternity Leave

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans the Government have to change provisions for paternity leave; [7133]

(2) what plans the Government have to introduce shared parental leave in the second six months after a child's birth. [7135]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.

The Government want to give families more choice about how to balance their work and caring responsibilities. The Work and Families: Choice and Flexibility" consultation sought views on how to enable
 
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fathers to share a proportion of the mother's maternity leave and pay. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research the Government have commissioned on the percentage of fathers who would stay home to look after children if it was financially viable to do so. [7134]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.

The DTI part funded the Equal Opportunities Commission's report Fathers and the First Year" which was published on 16 June 2005. The report indicates that almost 80 per cent. of working fathers surveyed said they would be happy to stay at home and look after their child, but did not provide any information as to whether financial considerations affected that response.

Prison Education

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2005, Official Report, column 490W, on prison education, what the targets are for numbers of offenders acquiring Basic Skills Level qualifications beyond (a) entry level, (b) level 1 and (c) level 2; and how many offenders acquired these qualifications in each year since 2002. [7380]

Phil Hope: The framework for basic skills qualifications is set out in Skills for Life", the national strategy for improving adult literacy and numeracy skills. That document contains no basic skills level qualifications beyond level 2 and therefore, as part of our aim to bring offender learning and skills in line with mainstream learning and skills provision, there are no targets for basic skills achievements by offenders in qualifications beyond entry level and levels 1 and 2.

Sector Skills Councils

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the date of licence of each Sector Skills Council is, listed in chronological order; what employment sector each covers; how many employers each covers; and what the most recent annual budget was of each. [6653]

Phil Hope: The following table provides information on Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) which are independent organisations. The number of employers is a broad estimate and excludes sole traders. The amount of public funding each SSC receives through the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) is detailed as follows on an accruals basis, for the year ending 31 March 2005. However, the information about the budgets of each SSC is commercially confidential as most generate significant amounts of external funding.

SSC

Month licensed

Sector/industry covered
Employers CoveredSSDA funding 2004–05 (£000)
e-Skills UKApril 2003IT, telecoms and contact centres133,6555,594
SEMTAApril 2003Science, engineering and manufacturing technologies66,4282,937
ConstructionSkillsSeptember 2003Construction213,1843,166
SkillsActiveOctober 2003Active leisure and learning24,8431,876
Automotive SkillsDecember 2003Retail, maintenance and repair motor industry76,2842,225
Energy and Utility SkillsDecember 2003Electricity, gas, water, and waste management15,7861,782
SummitSkillsDecember 2003Building services engineering50,2131,981
Skillfast-UKJanuary 2004Apparel, footwear and textiles28,0652,208
SkillsetJanuary 2004Broadcast, film, video and media25,2083,071
Cogent PlusFebruary 2004Chemical, nuclear, oil and gas extraction, petroleum and polymer20,1142,080
Skills for LogisticsFebruary 2004Freight logistics63,4901,519
Financial Services Skills CouncilApril 2004Financial services45,2892,079
LantraApril 2004Environmental and land based13,9432,569
People 1stApril 2004Hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism184,1052,422
Skills for HealthApril 2004Health sector45,0471,809
Skills for JusticeApril 2004Custodial care, community justice and Police4,7452,245
Improve LtdJune 2004Food and drink9,5652,538
Asset SkillsSeptember 2004Property, housing, cleaning and facilities management121,8531,789
SkillsmartSeptember 2004Retail279,5332,640
GoSkillsNovember 2004Passenger transport18,1251,827
Lifelong Learning UKJanuary 2005Learning delivery24,5751,533
Skills for Care and DevelopmentFebruary 2005Social care, children and young people57,477569
Creative and Cultural SkillsJune 2005Museums, music, crafts, galleries and arts37,940879

 
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Special Educational Needs/Tribunals

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the future of (a) Mayfield and (b) Astley special schools in Chorley. [6613]

Maria Eagle: Under arrangements introduced in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, the consideration of proposals for establishing, altering, or discontinuing maintained special schools are a matter for local decision making.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special schools there are in Lancashire education authority; and if she will make a statement on the long-term provision of special needs education in Lancashire. [6614]

Maria Eagle: Removing Barriers to Achievement", our SEN strategy, provides a clear long-term vision for improving support and outcomes for children with SEN. It sets out action to ensure that children with SEN receive the help they need as quickly as possible, from schools and other services. The SEN strategy was informed by a review of special schools. Special schools have a vital role teaching children with the most severe and complex needs, and sharing expertise with mainstream schools.

In January 2005 there were 32 maintained special schools in Lancashire local education authority. The schools are listed as follows.
School number
119860Burnley Calder View Special School
119861Bleasdale House Community Special School
119863Burnley Westway School
119864Sherburn School
119865Moorfield School
119866Moorbrook School
119869Massey Hall School
119870Elms School
119872Burnley Primrose Hill School
119873Wennington Hall School
119876Morecambe Road School
119877Chorley Astley Park School
119878Great Arley School
119879Rawtenstall Cribden House Community
Special School
119880Lostock Hall Moor Hey School
119881Colne Gibfield School
119882North Cliffe School
119883Oswaldtwistle Broadfield School
119886Black Moss School
119887Kirkham Pear Tree School
119889Mayfield School
119890Nelson Townhouse School
119891Tor View School
119892The Loyne School
119893The Coppice School
119894Oswaldtwistle White Ash School
119895Brookfield School
119897Thornton-Cleveleys Red Marsh School
119898Beacon School
131093Kingsbury School
131479Hillside School, Longridge
133688Royal Cross Primary School

 
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Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 593W, on special needs tribunals, in how many cases appellants (a) were successful, (b) were unsuccessful, (c) withdrew their cases and (d) settled cases outside tribunal, broken down by local education authority. [6965]

Maria Eagle: We do not collect information in this format; cases settled outside the tribunal result in a parental withdrawal or LEA concession, so data is provided under those two heads.

The following table shows appeal outcomes by LEA for the reporting year 2003–04. It shows the number of appeals withdrawn by the parent, conceded by the LEA and decided by the tribunal. Of those decided it shows the number upheld and the number dismissed, where upheld refers to any decision where the tribunal found in favour of the parents on any part of their appeal.
 
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Appeal outcomes by LEA for period 1 September 2003 to 31 August 2004

WithdrawnConcededDecidedUpheldDismissed
Barking and Dagenham318761
Barnet28816151
Barnsley32743
Bath and North East Somerset11330
Bedfordshire2211871
Bexley191321
Birmingham6815514011
Blackburn20431
Blackpool40110
Blaneau Gwent10000
Bolton40633
Bournemouth10110
Bracknell Forest50211
Bradford76853
Brent901138
Bridgend20101
Brighton and Hove12990
Bristol City28117143
Bromley25448435
Buckinghamshire272440
Bury40853
Caerphilly00330
Calderdale451275
Cambridgeshire1312532
Camden141330
Cardiff13642
Carmarthenshire00220
Cheshire14511101
Cornwall20217134
Coventry40110
Croydon182417116
Cumbria171651
Darlington40532
Derby City40431
Derbyshire108963
Devon232642
Doncaster70752
Dorset40330
Dudley101211
Durham17181284
Ealing1021091
East Riding of Yorkshire10550
East Sussex27640346
Enfield101330
Essex592325187
Flintshire10110
Gateshead72440
Gloucestershire141853
Greenwich1411174
Gwynedd00110
Hackney10181183
Halton41110
Hammersmith and Fulham42211
Hampshire602727225
Haringey7514104
Harrow14111101
Hartlepool10000
Havering20000
Herefordshire34220
Hertfordshire262134286
Hillingdon42981
Hounslow41440
Isle of Anglesey10000
Isle of Wight51431
Islington66330
Kensington and Chelsea40651
Kent4655342014
Kingston-upon-Thames64761
Kingston-upon-Hull, City61440
Kirklees64541
Knowsley52321
Lambeth161527225
Lancashire5518743
Leeds1011972
Leicester City175532
Leicestershire14820146
Lewisham16628244
Lincolnshire211523185
Liverpool1441174
Luton34550
Manchester1241073
Medway310101
Merton91532
Middlesbrough22000
Milton Keynes93110
Monmouthshire00211
Neath Port Talbot10220
Newcastle-upon-Tyne10541
Newham1411174
Newport40642
Norfolk26519172
North East Lincolnshire1010000
North Lincolnshire66330
North Somerset71532
North Tyneside00101
North Yorkshire96550
Northamptonshire42660
Northumberland30110
Nottingham City44000
Nottinghamshire113440
Oldham60541
Oxfordshire22414113
Peterborough40431
Plymouth11110
Poole00312
Portsmouth31431
Reading30000
Redbridge105972
Redcar and Cleveland10110
Richmond-upon-Thames12613103
Rochdale30000
Rotherham93660
Salford93642
Sandwell82330
Sefton23651
Sheffield35422
Shropshire68422
Slough24330
Solihull10000
Somerset7519145
South Gloucestershire63871
South Tyneside31110
Southampton31642
Southend60431
Southwark173880
St. Helens20110
Staffordshire1862113
Stockport20321
Stockton-on-Tees02101
Stoke-on-Trent31000
Suffolk141518171
Sunderland35440
Surrey492329263
Sutton100220
Swansea10101
Swindon21220
Tameside81101
Telford and Wrekin45220
Thurrock41330
Torbay60422
Torfaen10110
Tower Hamlets20110
Trafford30321
Vale of Glamorgan10000
Wakefield40651
Walsall17121192
Waltham Forest103330
Wandsworth190972
Warrington51000
Warwickshire60642
West Berkshire01000
West Sussex29111284
Westminster53752
Wigan Wiltshire18532
Wiltshire18718162
Windsor and Maidenhead16440
Wirral81541
Wokingham10110
Wolverhampton10211
Worcestershire201954
Wrexham11000
York City11101
Total1,5336611,195930265

 
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