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21 Nov 2005 : Column 1621W—continued
Educational Attainment
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the percentage of working-age adults with no qualifications is in each constituency; and if she will make a statement. [28936]
Phil Hope: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.
Family Law Cases (Perjury)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to ensure that evidence given in family law cases is subject to the law on perjury. [28650]
Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
The current law on perjury already applies to evidence given in family proceedings.
Further Education
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans her Department has to review the levels of funding allocated to further education in (a) Tamworth and (b) England. [26163]
Bill Rammell: Our 14 to 19 and Skills White Papers clearly articulate our priorities for post-14 education and training. Higher participation among young people must have the highest priority, alongside helping disadvantaged adults gain basic and Level 2 skills for employability and progression to Level 3. Starting from these strategic objectives we have reviewed the SR2004 settlement announced in April 2004 and we have agreed a funding strategy with the LSC for the next two years that is driven by policy priorities and the successes of the sector.
On 21 October, I made an announcement, setting out the Government's strategic direction for the learning and skills sector for the coming period. My main purpose for doing so was to ensure the 2006/07 funding allocations process began with a clear and concise message on the principles that will underpin funding over the next two years.
In addition, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) published 'Priorities for Success'—a document that sets out the funding strategy for the next two years in more detail. This document is available on the LSC's website.
Although more funding will be going into the sector, we will focus funding even more strongly on key priorities of raising participation and achievement 14 to 19 and driving down the skills deficit in the adult work force. This will mean that less provision outside these priority areas can be supported at previous levels, and that there has to be a new balance of responsibilities between Government, employers and learners to achieve this.
We confirmed our overall funding to the LSC for 2006–07 in our grant letter of 30 October 2005. The LSC will now allocate resources to regions, and local LSCs will make initial allocations to colleges in January 2006 for 2006/07.
21 Nov 2005 : Column 1622W
Higher Education
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding the Government has provided for higher education in each of the last five years. [29266]
Bill Rammell: The total funding for higher education in England in the last five years is shown in the following table.
| HE funding | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 6,048 |
| 2002–03 | 6,354 |
| 2003–04 | 6,807 |
| 2004–05 | 7,201 |
| 2005–06 | 7,631 |
Source:
DfES Departmental Report 2005, Annex B.
Funding for HE in the devolved Administrations and in Northern Ireland is provided separately.
IT Projects
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many IT projects which cost over £1 million and were introduced since 1997 are in use in her Department. [26618]
Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children Young People and Families on 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1314W.
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 961W, on the Learning and Skills Council, when she expects learner numbers for 2004/05 to be available. [28603]
Bill Rammell: Learner numbers for the full year 2004/05 funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in further education (FE), work based learning (WBL) and adult and community learning (ACL) will be published on 8 December 2005. The format will be a statistical first release (SFR) posted on both the Department's and LSC's websites:
http://www.lsc.gov.uk/National/Partners/Data/Statistics/LearnerStatistics/StatisticalFirstReleases/StatisticalFirst Release200405.htm
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 961W, on the Learning and Skills Council and of 8 November 2005 to question 19348, what the funding per learner was for those (a) studying levels four and five and (b) in higher education. [28651]
Bill Rammell:
HEFCE funds all prescribed courses of higher education as defined by the Education Prescribed Courses of Higher Education Regulations 1998 and can also fund non-prescribed" higher education courses. Prescribed higher education courses represents the vast majority of publicly funded higher education courses.
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The LSC funds a proportion of non-prescribed" vocational and professional courses at levels 4 and 5. In 2003/04 there were 72,000 learners studying non-prescribed higher education courses in FECs and a further 70,000 learners studying prescribed higher education in FECs. The LSC funding per learner for non-prescribed higher education in 2003/04 was £600. This is the level of annual funding from the LSC rather than the funding for the whole qualification and does not take into account contributions from individuals or employers.
Ministerial Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent in each year from 1 May 1997 on ministerial travel, broken down by (a) provision and running costs of vehicular transport, (b) first class travel by rail, (c) standard class travel by rail, (d) first class travel by air, (e) club or equivalent class travel by air and (f) economy class travel by air. [27790]
Maria Eagle: The information on the cost of ministerial travel could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code" and Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
In respect of ministerial cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Service, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office has asked Roy Burke, chief executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) to write to the hon. Member with details of the costs of ministerial vehicles provided to Departments in 2004–05. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.
For information for the financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04 I refer the hon. Member to the letters from the chief executive of the GCDA to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow), dated 10 January 2005 and to the then hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs dated 13 September 2003. Copies of these letters are available in the Library.
In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information for the financial years 1995–96 to 2004–05. Information for 2005–06 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, for each year since 1995, the number of flights, including helicopter flights, taken by Ministers within her Department for UK and overseas visits; on how many occasions (a) charter flights were used and (b) first and club class tickets were obtained; and if she will indicate who accompanied the Ministers on each trip. [27802]
Maria Eagle:
The information on the number of flights taken could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
21 Nov 2005 : Column 1624W
Ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code" and Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government has published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list indicates when non-scheduled flights were used, and shows how many officials accompanied Ministers in those circumstances. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for 2005–06 will be published after the end of the financial year.
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