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Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to publish the manifesto for Education Outside the Classroom. [14180]
Jacqui Smith: We aim to publish the manifesto in spring 2006. The Department will consult on a vision statement and common goals for the manifesto during the autumn term.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many educational psychologists she expects will qualify during the 200607 academic year. [15560]
Bill Rammell: The Department does not make estimates of the number of qualifications obtained in specific subjects.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she plans to publish proposals for new guidance on fire safety in school buildings. [15328]
Jacqui Smith: Draft proposals for new fire safely guidance for schools are currently out for public consultation. These can be viewed on:
The consultation process began on 1 August and ends on 31 October. Subject to the extent and nature of comments that are received, we expect to be able to publish final guidance by April 2006.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the number of foster carers needed to provide placement choice for children; and if she will make a statement. [15015]
Maria Eagle: At 31 March 2004, there were an estimated 41,600 children in foster placements in England, representing 68 per cent. of all looked-after children. The Department itself does not currently hold information centrally about the number of foster carers. However, assisting local authorities to recruit and retain foster carers is a key priority for my Department, to ensure that placements which meet the needs of children and young people can be found without delay. A number of national initiatives are already in place or planned to encourage greater numbers of people to become and remain foster carers, including a Fostering Publicity Pack designed to help local authorities to run targeted local campaigns to recruit new foster carers for looked-after children.
In addition, work to identify and resolve difficulties in the collection of national data about foster carers is ongoing. Fieldwork involving a sample of local authorities is currently taking place in order to contribute to the development of an informative and workable data collection.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of adequacy of funding for (a) allowances, (b) fees, (c) training and (d) management and support costs for foster carers; and if she will make a statement. [15016]
Maria Eagle: There has already been significant investment in funding for children's social services; total funding (including Formula Spending Share and Specific Grants) is £4.26 billion in 200506up £300 million (or 8 per cent.) on 200405. In terms of future years, formula spending for children's social services is to rise by £500 million between 200506 and 200708 to a total of £4.5 billion. This funding provision is not ring-fenced, allowing authorities to plan to meet their own prioritiesincluding for fostering services.
It is important to consider funding for fostering services alongside the investment made in related children's social services. Local authorities need to ensure that they have effective strategies in place for planning and delivering provision for all their children and young people who have additional needs, and that they make efficient use of available resources.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to enable foster carers who make themselves available throughout the year to care for children to be paid fees for 52 weeks of the year. [15200]
Maria Eagle: We have no plans to standardise the payment of fees to foster carers. However, we are currently developing proposals for a national minimum allowance for foster carers, to cover the costs of caring for a looked after child, and shall be consulting fully on this issue. Research indicates that payment ratesincluding the payment of fees while placements are emptyare but one of a number of issues of concern to foster carers.
We are therefore taking forward work in parallel to develop good practice guidance for local authorities in order to address wider concerns about the transparency, consistency and efficiency of payment systems. Our intention is both to establish a national minimum allowance rate and to issue guidance in 2006.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will allocate increased funds for foster care services. [15202]
Maria Eagle: Ring-fenced funding of £113 million has been made available from 200304 to 200506 through the Choice Protects programme to support local authorities in improving placement choice for their looked-after childrenin particular through strengthening and expanding their fostering services.
Of this amount, a total of £7.25 million has been retained over the three years of the grant to fund national initiatives, including measures aimed at improving the status, support and training of foster carers. These include, in particular: a national advice line for foster carers, 'Fosterline'; work to improve the
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support given to foster carers who are subject to allegations; as well as work to improve training opportunities for foster carers.
In terms of future years, formula spending for children's social services is to rise by £500 million between 200506 and 200708 to a total of £4.5 billion. This funding provision is not ring-fenced, allowing authorities to plan to meet local priorities, and will enable further increased investment in fostering services.
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils aged 16 to 18 have been educated in (a) further education colleges and (b) sixth forms in schools, in England since 2000, broken down by local authority. [15877]
Bill Rammell: Participation estimates of education by local authority are only available for those young people aged 16 and 17.
The number of these people participating in full-time education in further education colleges (including sixth form colleges) and school sixth forms (including independent schools) in each local authority are given in the table. The figures are given as at the end of the calendar year 2000 to 2003 (latest available).
This information is taken from the publication Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in Each Local Area in England, 2002 and 2003".
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to assist recruitment and retention in further education colleges. [15277]
Bill Rammell:
The Government are committed to supporting FE colleges in their efforts to recruit and retain high calibre staff and currently fund two specific programmes of financial incentives to encourage
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teachers to work in colleges. A pilot programme offering bursaries to trainee teachers undertaking a full-time postgraduate certificate of education; a programme offering Golden Hellos" to new college teachers in certain designated shortage subjects. In addition the keyworker living programme offers support to FE teachers in London and the South East in respect of housing costs.
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These financial incentives are currently under review and the outcome of the review will be announced shortly.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effect of differential rates of pay between further education colleges' staff and school sixth form colleges on recruitment and retention in each over the last five years. [15278]
Bill Rammell: No such assessment has been made. Pay is a matter for individual colleges as autonomous employers.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her policy on further education colleges charging employers for training staff in NVQ level 1 and level 2. [15279]
Bill Rammell: The Government's Skills Strategy, reaffirmed in the White Paper published on the 22 March, sets clear priorities for public funding to support the drive to ensure that employers have the skills they need to be successful, and individuals have the skills they need to be employable and personally fulfilled. Finding a new balance of responsibilities between Government, employers and learners is crucial. My Department's policy is that employers should pay a contribution towards the tuition fee costs for all employees undertaking publicly supported training unless those learners are eligible for free provision eg if the learners are studying for a first full level 2 qualification or undertaking a literacy, numeracy or English language course.
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