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7 Nov 2005 : Column 125W—continued
Prison Education
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department plans to spend on prison education in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07 and (c) 2007–08. [25436]
Phil Hope: Expenditure on learning and skills for offenders in custody is planned to be £110.9 million in financial year 2005–06. Decisions have yet to be taken on spend in 2006–07 and 2007–08.
School Building Repairs
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the requirement for school building repairs in Leeds, North-West; and what estimate she has made of the cost in each school. [25766]
Jacqui Smith: The following table shows requirements for school building repairs in Leeds, North-West, based on data supplied to the Department by the local education authority in 2003. Costs have been updated to current costs. In addition to backlog repair work, the figures cover work needed over a five year period from the dates of the assessments, including cyclical and scheduled maintenance.
Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996–97 to £5.5 billion this year and will rise further to
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£6.3 billion by 2007–08. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock.
School Meals
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the average amount spent on school meals per pupil per day in the last period for which figures are available. [25098]
Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect information on the average amount spent on school meals per pupil per day. However, the recent report from the school meals review panel, concluded that the average cost of ingredients in primary schools was 48.5p; and in secondary schools was 59.8p. We are currently undertaking a national audit of school food provision which asks local authorities for details of average expenditure on ingredients.
School Non-attenders
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the proportion of children between the ages of five and 16 years who do not attend school. [25658]
Jacqui Smith:
The Government make no estimates of the proportion of children between the ages of five and 16 years who do not attend school. There is currently no reliable statistical source from which to estimate of the number of children who do not attend school. In due
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course, the information sharing index, provided for in Section 12 of the Children Act 2004, would enable more accurate estimates to be made.
In the meantime, the Government are concentrating on improving practice in identifying children missing, or at risk of going missing, from education and placing them in suitable provision. In the White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All—More Choice for Parents and Pupils" we announced our intention to introduce a new statutory duty on local authorities to identify children missing education.
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what are the most recent truancy levels for (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in Morecambe and Lunesdale. [24535]
Jacqui Smith: These data are provisional: they are currently in the process of being checked by schools and, therefore, may change as a result of this process.
| Morecambe and Lunesdale | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 0.44 | 0.43 |
| Secondary | 1.34 | 1.25 |
(45) Unauthorised absence includes other forms of absence such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the truancy figures were from colleges of further education (a) in England and (b) broken down by constituency, in the last year for which figures are available. [24981]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally. Data on pupil absences are collected only in respect of pupils of compulsory school age: i.e. those aged five to 16-years-old.
School Sport
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average number of hours of physical education was undertaken per week in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools, in England in 2004–05. [23534]
Jacqui Smith: The 2004–05 PE and School Sport Survey of schools in School Sport Partnerships found that the average time spent each week on physical education by pupils in partnership schools was 101 minutes for pupils in primary schools and 113 minutes for pupils in secondary schools. The figures for the previous year were 97 minutes for pupils in primary schools and 110 minutes for pupils in secondary schools.
The survey results were published in September and copies have been placed in the House Libraries.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure that children in schools undertake more physical exercise. [25184]
Jacqui Smith:
The Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are jointly implementing a national school sport
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strategy. The strategy is delivering an ambitious public service agreement target to increase the percentage of 5–16 year olds who spend a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006 and then 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition, by 2010, is to offer all children at least four hours of sport every week. In the five years to 2008 over £1.5 billion is being invested (including £686 million lottery funding) to implement the strategy. The 2004–05 school sport survey results found that overall, 69 per cent. of pupils in the 11,498 schools involved, were participating in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week. The results were published on 2 September 2005 and copies have been placed in both Houses of Parliament Libraries.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the schools designated as sports hubs in Hemel Hempstead constituency. [25577]
Jacqui Smith: There is one School Sport Partnership in Hemel Hempstead. The hub school for the partnership is The Cavendish School, which is a Specialist Sports College. The partnership will expand next year to include all schools in Hemel Hempstead.
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