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12 Sept 2005 : Column 2327W—continued
Adults (Qualifications)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of working age people in the Southend West constituency hold a qualification at degree level or equivalent or above; and what the national average is. [14262]
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Beverley Hughes: The following table shows both the number and proportion of those of working age 1 who hold at least a degree level or equivalent qualification (NVQ level 4 or higher) in England and the parliamentary constituency of Southend West.
| Degree or equivalent (number) | Degree or equivalent (Percentage) | Estimate of error (Percentage) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 7,574,000 | 25.0 | 0.2 |
| Southend West | 10,000 | 21.9 | 3.5 |
Source:
Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey 2003–04
Figures for two years earlier, in 2001–02, are presented for comparison in the following table:
| Degree or equivalent (number) | Degree or equivalent (Percentage) | Estimate of error (Percentage) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 7,035,000 | 23.4 | 0.2 |
| Southend West | 9,000 | 19.4 | 3.2 |
Source:
Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey 2001–02
Affordable Childcare
Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to improve access to affordable child care for working women. [14323]
Beverley Hughes: The stock of child care places has increased by over 537,000 places nationally since 1999. This benefits all working parents.
The Government are also making significant contributions to help parents access affordable child care through tax credits. The child care element of the working tax credit enables parents to claim up to 70 per cent. of their child care costs to a maximum cost of £175 per week for one child and £300 per week for two or more children. From April 2006 the 70 per cent. maximum will increase to 80 per cent. making child care more affordable.
In addition to tax credits, we have introduced free nursery education for all three and four-year-olds for 33 weeks per year. From April 2006, this free entitlement will be extended to 38 weeks per year and from 2007, the weekly entitlement will extend from 12.5 hours per week to 15 hours and parents will be able to use this flexibly over three days. This increase will again make child care more accessible and affordable to parents.
Our recently announced Ten Year Strategy also included details of a Transformation Fund of £125 million a year which will be used to raise the quality and sustainability of affordable child care provision, ensuring value for money and without compromising affordability for parents.
Our strategy also announced that the Department, together with the Greater London Authority will pilot a range of approaches aimed at improving the
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accessibility and affordability of good quality child care for parents on lower incomes. The first of these pilots is due to commence towards the end of this year.
African Faith Healers
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has commissioned into the influence of African faith healers on vulnerable children. [12810]
Maria Eagle: Ministers have not commissioned research into the influence of African faith healers. However we are currently working with our partners in the Immigration Department, police, social services, faith and community groups and other experts to better understand this complex issue. That is why we have convened an urgent round-table discussion with representatives of all these groups, to continue the process of dialogue and investigation and to deepen engagement with these hard-to-reach communities. Following this discussion we will set out the scope of further work in this area.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with social services in (a) Angola and (b) Nigeria regarding African faith healers and child abuse. [12829]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 28 July 2005]: Ministers have not had discussions with social services in Angola or Nigeria regarding this issue.
Aimhigher Initiative
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the objectives and targets of the Aimhigher initiative are; and what assessment she has made of its effectiveness. [13433]
Bill Rammell: Aimhigher is funded to help widen participation in higher education (HE) and increase the number of young people who have the abilities and aspirations to benefit from it. The objectives are:
to raise aspirations and motivation to enter HE among young people in schools, further education and workplace learning, who are from under-represented groups;
to raise the attainment of potential HE students who are from under-represented groups, so that they gain the academic or vocational qualifications and learning skills that will enable them to enter HE;
to raise students' aspirations to enter HE and to apply to the institution and/or course best able to match their abilities;
to improve the attainment, aspirations, motivation and self-esteem of gifted and talented young people aged 14–19; and the quality of identification, provision and support for those students in schools and colleges.
Further details can be found on the Aimhigher website www.aimhigher.ac.uk
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Recent evaluation of the early stages of the former Excellence Challenge programme, which funded activities now typically funded through Aimhigher, has reported measurable improvements in attainment and aspirations. It shows that:
The programme has led to improved pre-16 attainment: pupils exposed to the programme are on average 4.6 percentage points more likely to attain a level 4 or above in Key Stage 3 Maths.
At Year 11, those who have been exposed to the programme are on average likely to increase their total GCSE score by 2.5 points, which corresponds to an increase of between 2 and 3 grades in one GCSE.
Exposure to the programme improves pupils' aspirations. The proportion exposed to the scheme and reporting that they intend to remain in full-time education until at least the age of 20 is 3.9 percentage points higher than it would be in the absence of the scheme.
Targeting two groups, (Gifted and Talented, and Widening Participation) has been effective. For the Gifted and Talented group there has been an additional 13.32 months of progress at Key Stage 3, and an additional 4.42 points in total GCSE score. For the Widening Participation group, there has been an additional 6.48 months of progress at Key Stage 3, and an additional 1.16 points in total GCSE points score.
The evaluation reports are available on the DfES website.
Appointments
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what appointments were made to lead bodies providing services within the education sector for which she is responsible in each year since 1997; and what their (a) role, (b) pay, (c) length of tenure at appointment and (d) previous experience in (i)the public sector and (ii) private sector was in each case. [14373]
Bill Rammell: Details of appointments to the boards of non-departmental public bodies are published each year in the departmental report, listing names, role, pay and term of appointment.
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was established in June 2001. departmental reports for 2002 onwards are available online at the DfES website and in the House of Commons Library. Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) reports for 1997 to 2001 are available in the House of Commons Library.
Details of appointees' previous experience in the public or private sector are not recorded in the reports. This information is available from press notices announcing the appointments. Press notices from 1998 onwards are available from the DfES website.
Apprenticeships
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many apprenticeships have started since May 2004 resulting from employer leads directly attributable to the Learning and Skills Council's marketing campaign for apprenticeships, broken down by region. [6506]
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Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in each region responded to the recent apprenticeship marketing campaign; and how many inquiries led to apprenticeship starts. [6507]
Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many employers have started training apprentices since May 2004 as a direct result of the apprenticeship marketing campaign, broken down by region; and how many of those have never trained apprentices before. [6508]
Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Council has spent on marketing and advertising apprenticeships, including development costs, since the beginning of 2004. [6509]
Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many modern apprenticeships were taken up in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Chorley in each of the last three years; and how many were not completed. [7656]
Bill Rammell: The Government are committed to providing high quality apprenticeships for young people and the number of apprentices in training has more than tripled since 1997 to around 250,000. The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for the planning and funding of apprenticeships and Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested for the North West, Lancashire and Chorley. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 8 July 2005:
I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (which has been referred to the Learning and Skills Council LSC for a response) regarding how many school leavers are expected to take up apprenticeships in 2005–06 in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley.
LSC Lancashire does not generate this information, however Connexions does gather data on the intended destinations of all young people leaving school each summer. The data for summer 2005 would give the best indication of the numbers of school leavers expected to take up apprenticeships in 2005–06. LSC Lancashire has contacted Connexions Lancashire and they have provided the following data. The number of young people in Lancashire intending to take up an apprenticeship is 4743 and of these, 284 will live in Chorley.
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