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Green Ministers

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what (a) work her Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last three months and (b) meetings that Minister has attended in the last 12 months in an official capacity in that role; [16272]

(2) if she will list the meetings at which her Department has been represented regarding the delivery of sustainable development across Government as co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-committee of Green Ministers. [16273]

Maria Eagle: Following the general election in May, the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers (ENV(G) was replaced by the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD) whose members are departmental Sustainable Development Ministers. Although the Government publishes the title, membership and terms of reference of Cabinet Committees, it has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of their proceedings.

I was appointed as our departmental Sustainable Development Minister in June 2005. Since then I have overseen the Government's response to the Environmental Audit Committee's report 'Learning the Sustainability Lesson' and the Department's work on a new sustainable development action plan.
 
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Head Lice

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether she has allocated resources to schools to tackle the prevalence of head lice among pupils; and if she will make a statement. [15829]

Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.

The Department of Health is responsible for funding the school health service, which among a number of health promotional activities, has a role in controlling the prevalence of head louse infestation among pupils. Parents are encouraged to check their children and other family members for head lice as need arises, and to arrange treatment with such additional advice and support from the local health care team—a school nurse, general practitioner, health visitor or local pharmacist—as is required. If this exercise is undertaken at the same time by all parents of children attending the school, then the spread of head lice can be controlled. Schools are resourced to maintain relations and facilitate discussion with families over a range of issues which, from time to time, impact upon school activities. These discussions may include, in consort with the school health service, the best approach to tackling head louse infestation.

Headteachers' Staffing Reviews

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the length of time needed for head teachers to complete their staffing structure reviews. [16013]

Jacqui Smith: All schools in England are under a statutory obligation to complete a review of their staffing structure by 31 December 2005. The time needed by head teachers will vary from school to school, depending on how far they have already progressed with implementing the remodelling agenda and the extent to which they wish to propose changes to their structures. We recognise that some schools may need support in order to complete an effective review by the deadline, which is why the Rewards and Incentives Group has put in place a comprehensive package of measures to supplement the published guidance.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance and advice is available to head teachers to complete their staffing structure reviews. [16014]

Jacqui Smith: The document, Review of the School Staffing Structure: Guidance for Schools in England", which was produced and published by the Rewards and Incentives Group (RIG) in May 2005 (and is also available on Teachernet and Governornet websites), provides governing bodies and head teachers with comprehensive support in identifying the key steps necessary to conduct an effective review of the staffing structure.

For those schools that need additional, practical, and in some cases, face to face support in order to complete an effective review, they are able to request support and advice from the local authorities' link and human resources advisers and the four unions and associations that are part of RIG. Further support and guidance is also available from RIG in the form of a national RIG
 
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helpline, a self-assessment tool for schools to use in identifying any further assistance needed, and a set of Frequently Asked Questions, which is available on partners' websites. This has been complemented by the hosting of six regional workshops by RIG partners for local authorities and head teachers, the focus of which has been the provision of practical support and sharing of best practice which can be shared widely across schools to assist the restructuring process.

Higher Education Initial Participation Rates

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills under what circumstances students whose domicile is (a) non-UK and (b) unknown are included in the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate; and how many students there were in each category in each year between 1999–2000 and 2003–04. [11101]

Bill Rammell [pursuant to the reply, 12 July 2005, Official Report, c. 1016W]: I am providing an amended response following receipt of further information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). No students explicitly recorded as non-UK have been included in the HEIPR. Students with unknown domiciles at English institutions are assumed to be English and have been included in the HEIPR, unless the institution records that they are not eligible to pay home fees.

The first table records the number of students listed with unknown domiciles, who may be included in the HEIPR, depending upon their prior HE status. The second is provided for comparative purposes and gives the total number of initial entrants in the HEIPR (in thousands).
Entrants with unknown domiciles, who may be included in the HEIPR Thousand

Academic year	No prior HE(113)	Unknown prior HE(114)
1999/2000	575	235
2000/01	1,380	145
2001/02	670	110
2002/03	980	170
2003/04	700	200

⁽¹¹³⁾Entrants with no prior HE are included in the HEIPR.
⁽¹¹⁴⁾Entrants with unknown prior HE status qualify in the HEIPR on a pro-rata basis, therefore only a proportion of these students will be included.
Notes:
1.Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
2.Information derived from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.




Entrants counted within the HEIPR

Academic year	Number of initial entrants (Thousand)
1999/2000	246
2000/01	249
2001/02	255
2002/03	268
2003/04	269

Source:
Information derived from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record and Learning and Skills Council Individualised Learner Record.




 
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House Building (Skilled Workers)

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what joint assessment her Department has made with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the number of additional skilled workers who will be required to deliver the house building targets in each of the sustainable communities growth areas. [15175]

Phil Hope: The precise number of additional skilled workers that will be needed to deliver the house building targets in each of the sustainable communities growth areas will depend very much on regional levels of productivity and the mix of skills required in each local area.

ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for construction, is already actively working at regional level to support the development of Regional Housing Strategies and have developed a skills 'observatory' to provide a more comprehensive forecast of skills demand and supply. Research by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), due to be published in September, is likely to indicate that skills and training needs will arise from these changes in the sector. ConstructionSkills will work with other stakeholders to develop an action plan based on the issues identified.

International Baccalaureate

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) state secondary schools and (b) city academies offer the International Baccalaureate. [15338]

Jacqui Smith: In January 2005 there were 34 maintained secondary schools, one academy and one city technology college with at least one pupil following an International Baccalaureate.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to widen the availability of the International Baccalaureate in the state sector. [15705]

Jacqui Smith: The International Baccalaureate Diploma is a QCA accredited qualification and it is approved for use in the state sector if they wish to offer this. We have no plans to promote the use of the International Baccalaureate (IB) in the state sector.

In our recent 14–19 Education and Skills White Paper we explained that, as part of the proposed changes to Alevels, we will pilot an extended project. We see this as a single piece of work, requiring planning, preparation, research and independent working. We expect it to become a universally available option to add stretch, breadth and interest for many sixth formers. In doing so, we will draw on the experience of qualifications such as the IB.

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