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26 Oct 2005 : Column 388W—continued
Further Education
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the research on further education (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by (i) her Department and (ii) the Learning and Skills Council in each year since 2001. [20818]
Bill Rammell: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will bring further education lecturers' pay into line with that of teachers; and if she will make a statement. [20313]
Bill Rammell: Further education colleges and sixth form colleges are autonomous bodies, which negotiate pay and conditions with staff and their unions without Government involvement either nationally or locally. The Government have no plans to impose a national pay structure on further education colleges.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make an assessment of the merits of ring-fencing Learning and Skills Council funds for lecturers' pay; and if she will make a statement. [20333]
Bill Rammell: We have worked hard with the LSC to simplify funding arrangements including reducing the number of separate budgets for further education. This has reduced bureaucracy and has made college funding more simple and transparent. We would be reluctant to reverse this process, which has been welcomed by colleges and their staff. Success for All", the strategy for reforming further education and training, makes clear that the Government's approach to pay is to enable local flexibility to meet local needs and to encourage a clear link between pay and individual performance. FE colleges and sixth form colleges are autonomous bodies, which negotiate pay and conditions with staff and their unions without Government involvement either nationally or locally.
Key Stage Tests
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of secondary school pupils achieved level 5 and above at key stage 3 in (a) reading, (b) writing, (c) mathematics and (d) reading, writing and mathematics combined in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2004. [17705]
Jacqui Smith:
The requested information, including the data for 2005, is shown in the following table.
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| Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Reading | — | 68 | 65 | 68 |
| Writing | — | 65 | 72 | 76 |
| Mathematics | 67 | 71 | 73 | 74 |
| Reading, writing and mathematics | — | — | 57 | 59 |
Notes:
1. Reading and writing results were not collected in 2002. Reading and writing was assessed in a single paper prior to and including 2002 therefore the results could not be reported separately until 2003.
2. The reading, writing and mathematics combined figure for 2003 is unavailable. These figures are held separately and cannot be matched reliably enough to give an accurate national result.
3. Figures are for all schools in England.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the relative attainment at key stage 3 between (a) boys and girls and (b) those eligible and ineligible for freeschool meals since the launch of the key stage 3 strategy. [19198]
Jacqui Smith: Information on the attainment of pupils in key stage 3 tests by characteristics are published on the Department's website. Figures for 2004 are available at:
Figures for 2002 and 2003 are available at:
A gender breakdown of the 2001 figures is available at:
The 2001 figures cannot be broken down into those eligible and ineligible for free school meals.
Looked-after Children
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated in 2005–06 to helping children who run away from care homes; and what steps are being taken to tackle the problem. [21031]
Maria Eagle: The Department of Health published 'Children Missing from Care and Home—a guide to good practice' in November 2002, in tandem with the Social Exclusion Unit's report Young Runaways". This was issued, along with Circular LAC (2002)17 under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, making the guidance a requirement for local authorities. This guidance requires that protocols about the management of 'missing from care incidents' are drawn up with the police and that a senior manager is appointed to monitor these and that there should be regular reports to council members with responsibility for corporate parenting" on patterns of children going missing from care.
This guidance supports the requirements that are set out in the Children's Homes Regulations 2002 and the Fostering Services Regulations 2002 and their related national minimum standards, that all homes and
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fostering services should have explicit procedures to follow when children in their care may be missing or absent.
Information about costs incurred by local authorities or other agencies in responding to incidents when children go missing from care is not collected centrally.
National Vocational Qualifications
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 962W on national vocational qualifications; how many national vocational qualifications were awarded (a) in food preparation and cooking and (b) without the nutrition element in each of the last five years. [21165]
Bill Rammell: The numbers of National Vocational Qualifications awarded in Food Preparation and Cooking in each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
Source:
National Information System for Vocational Qualifications
It is not possible to identify qualifications awarded in food preparation and cooking without the nutrition element.
Overseas University Students
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many overseas students attended universities in England in 2004–05; and how much they contributed to the income of these universities. [19315]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table. Figures for 2004/5 will not be available until January 2006.
| Non-EU overseas students at English HE Institutions 2003/04 | |
|---|---|
| Number of students(6) | 161,600 |
| Income from HE course fees (£ million) | 1,121.5 |
(6) Postgraduate and undergraduate students. Rounded to the nearest 100.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Private Children's Homes
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the decision in R. v. Leonard Cheshire Foundation [2002] H.R.L.R.30 on the applicability of the Human Rights Act 1998 to privately-run children's homes. [20734]
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Maria Eagle: This case relates to adults who expected to live out the remainder of their lives in a particular residential care home. Although sometimes older children in particular are placed in a children's home until such time as they are ready for a move to independence, for most children such placements are made on a much shorter-term basis.
Before placing a child in a children's home, local authorities need to take a clear view of the stability and viability of the home, and its ability to provide care to meet the child's individual needs for the required period of time. I would expect a local authority placing a child in a children's home to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the child's human rights are protected.
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